Indian Court Denies Permission to Pakistani Judicial Panel to Meet Ajmal Kasab
A Pakistani judicial panel which arrived in India on Wednesday has been barred by a court from meeting and interviewing Ajmal Kasab, the lone survivor among the attackers of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people.
The panel's four-day visit is a part of the probe into the November 2008 Mumbai attack, wherein the panel members are taking down the statements of the officials involved in the 26/11 Mumbai killing probe.
According to an anonymous court official, an Indian judge told the delegation Friday that it would not be allowed to meet Kasab, reported zeenews.india.com. The court also dismissed a plea by the Pakistani judicial commission to cross-examine four witnesses in the 26/11 case.
According to Islamabad, the visit is an important step and will quicken the trial of the Mumbai terror accused. The constitution of the commission includes two prosecutors from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, five defence lawyers and officials from the Interior and Foreign Ministries.
Islamabad has argued that it is necessary to furnish the statements of the investigative officer and the magistrate before the anti-terror court, since the charges against seven LeT militants lodged in a Pakistani jail are based on Kasab's statement.
The panel recorded the statement of magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, who had recorded the confession of Kasab soon after his arrest following the attacks.
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