David Headley's cross-examination to start on March 23

MUMBAI: The cross-examination of Pakistani-American terrorist David Headley in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case was today deferred to Wednesday.

It was earlier scheduled tomorrow.

"We informed the court that one of the attorneys of Headley was not well and requested the court to start the proceedings from Wednesday. The court ordered accordingly," Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told.

Nikam said Headley's cross-examination will go on for four days. Abdul Wahab Khan, the lawyer of Abu Jundal, an alleged key plotter of the terror attack, will cross-examine.

Headley, who has turned an approver, concluded his week-long deposition before Mumbai sessions court through a video-link from the US on February 13.

On February 22, Judge G A Sanap had directed Nikam to contact US authorities for Headley's second round of deposition and inform the court by February 25, after which the dates of his testimony were to be finalised.

Jundal's lawyer Abdul Wahab Khan then sought four days to cross-examine Headley. Khan has also filed an application objecting to Headley being made an approver by the court.

Headley, who is serving a 35-year jail term in the US, said in his deposition how Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI provides "financial, military and moral support" to terror outfits LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Hizbul Mujahideen, and how LeT planned and executed the 26/11 attack. He also said that Ishrat Jahan, killed in an allegedly fake encounter in Gujarat, was an LeT operative.