Final arguments in Kasab case to begin on March 9

The final arguments in the trial of 26/11 terror attacks case accused Ajmal Kasab will begin on March 9 in a special court in Mumbai with the prosecution expected to focus on countering the stand taken by him that he is not a terrorist and was being framed by police.

With Kasab's lawyer K P Pawar is likely to stress on his statement in the court that he had come from Pakistan by Samjhauta Express as a tourist to Delhi and from there arrived in Mumbai a few days before the attacks, the prosecution led by Ujjwal Nikam would be putting forward arguments to disapprove the claims.

Special Public Prosecutor Nikam would also have to demolish Kasab's stand that he was not injured in police encounter and that the injury sustained by him in his hand was inflicted by police to implicate him in the crime.

The prosecution's case is that Kasab had sailed from Karachi along with nine terrorists in a boat and midway they hijacked Indian fishing trawler Kuber by which they arrived near Mumbai coast. They were carrying a dingy (rubber boat) with the help of which they landed on the shores of the city.

After landing in Mumbai the terrorists, in pairs of two and four, fanned out to different areas and shot at people in Hotel Taj, Hotel Trident, Leopold Cafe, Nariman House, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama hospital, killing 166 people and injuring many others.

Kasab has disputed prosecution's charge that he and other terrorists had opened fire with AK-47 rifles and told the court that he had never seen such a weapon.

Kasab has denied killing police officers Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamate, Vijay Salaskar and constable Tukaram Ombale. He has also refuted police charge about planting bombs in two taxis, which exploded killing several people.

The prosecution, on the other hand, is banking heavily on evidence of 30 eyewitnesses who have identified Kasab as the one who had fired at people.

The DNA report of Kasab has matched with the articles found in Kuber boat and also with the DNA samples of other terrorists who were killed by armed forces in the attack.

The prosecution has produced technical evidence to show that mobile phones were used by terrorists in the attack and that they were in touch with their handlers in Pakistan. These numbers were connected to an account created with CALLPHONEX, a voice-over-internet-protocol service provider based in New Jersey, USA.

Prosecutor Nikam is also banking on closed-circuit-television-camera footages produced in the court which showed Kasab and others in terror attacks. The clips were from CCTV cameras installed outside Times of India building opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and at hotels Taj and Oberoi, which were targeted in the attacks.

"Kasab's statement (that he is not a terrorist and has been falsely implicated) will pose a big challenge to the prosecution as they will have to disprove it," Kasab's lawyer K P Pawar said.