Please hang me for my crimes, Kasab tells court

Ajmal Amir Kasab, prime accused in the terror attacks on Mumbai, and his lawyer Abbas Kazmi on Wednesday gave contradictory statements to the special court during the 26/11 trial. While Kasab stated that he not given his confession under any pressure or torture, Kazmi claimed that Kasab was being mentally tortured by the guard manning his cell.

However, when Judge M L Tahiliani asked if he was under any kind of mental or physical pressure, Kasab replied in the negative.

"Aisa to koi masla nahi hai (there is no issue like that)," said Kasab, the sole terrorist arrested during the terror siege on Mumbai in November last year. Kasab, who had launched a terror attacks on Mumbai's CST while his accomplices targeted three other spots in South Mumbai, shocked the court by admitting to his crimes on Monday.

Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam tried to establish Kasab's shrewdness as he stated that the Pakistani terrorist was only admitting to minor crimes in a bid to save his skin.

Nikam alleged that Kasab was being trained by somebody to make such clever statements. When judge Tahiliani asked Nikam if he was accusing Kazmi of training Kasab, the public prosecutor claimed that he didn't mean that, adding that the police will investigate the matter.

Kasab also told the court on Wednesday, "Maine joh kiya hai, is duniya mein kiya hai, toh is duniya mein mujhe sazaa mile. Mujha rab se koi saza nahi chahiye. Mujhe beshakh phaasi ki sazaa de dijiye (Whatever I have done, I have done on earth, and I should be punished here. I don't want to be punished by God. Please punish me by hanging)".

The special court will give its ruling on Thursday on whether it would accept Kasab's statement admitting his guilt.

Nikam further argued that the court may accept Kasab's confession but should allow the prosecution to submit further evidence in the case, as Kasab has not made a full disclosure about his role in the terror attacks.

"The prosecution has to establish before the court why Mumbai was targeted, why foreigners were attacked and has to also expose the infrastructure and operations of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba," he said.

Nikam also told the court that a team of experts from abroad is yet to be examined in the case. "If the Pakistan government is serious about combating terrorism, then it can use this evidence in a court there as there is a provision for the same in Pakistan's Criminal Procedure Code," Nikam said.

Defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi said it was up to the court to decide whether to accept the Pakistani terrorist's statement.

Additional inputs from PTI