Mumbai, Feb 21 : A smiling Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam today described the Bombay High Court verdict as a "victory of justice and defeat of drama by Pakistani terrorist Kasab," "Nautanki ab khatm huyi"(the drama has now ended), said Nikam.
Nikam said that "the storm of terror unleashed by Kasab and his accomplices has finally ended" and there would be mourning and breast-beating in the camps of his handlers.
In his briefing, in which he called Kasab "a monster" and "a demon" and also threw in a couplet to loud applause, Nikam said that Kasab frequently attempted to misguide the prosecution and investigators, changed his statements at regular intervals and even pleaded for a life term at the fag end of the trial.
"However, nothing worked and we managed to foil all his designs. The Bombay High Court has upheld our plea, terming it as 'the rarest of rare cases' and retained the death verdict by the lower court," Nikam said.
Nikam said the "monster" who was involved in the Nov 26-29, 2008, Mumbai terror attacks, in which 166 people were killed and over 230 injured, has been brought to justice.
Nikam also said he would recommend appealing against the acquittal of his two Indian co-accused Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed by the court Monday.
"After getting the copy of the order, I shall recommend to the government to appeal against the judgment letting off the two co-accused," Nikam said.
In Delhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram said, the verdict was a tribute to India's legal system. "I compliment the prosecution which did a good job in the tiral court. This is a tribute to our legal system. It has raised the prestige of India's legal system".
On the slow progress of Mumbai attacks case in Pakistan courts, Chidambaram said, between the High Court and the lower court in Pakistan, there has been no movement at all.
Pakistan had demanded that a commission be allowed to visit India to meet the accused and the main eyewitnesses of the terror attacks. India had refused saying that the court work on the case in India should first end before a commission can be allowed to come.
