'City's my family. How can I be Kasab's lawyer?'

MUMBAI: On Thursday morning, advocate Dinesh Mota took the 8.15 fast local to CST as he usually does. But, unlike on other days, he boarded the train somewhat reluctantly. His mind was crowded with a thousand thoughts���only a day earlier, he had been assigned a crossborder client that no top lawyer was willing to touch, the 26/11 terrorist Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab. Mota has refused to represent him.

Mota, a member of the state���s legal aid panel who has practised criminal law for 24 years, said he was shocked when he received a call on Wednesday evening. Speaking at length exclusively to TOI, the lawyer admitted, ���I was s��� scared. In fact, I was prepared to bunk court on Thursday. But my wife Nina pushed me, encouraging me to go and personally say ���no��� before the magistrate.������

The 48-year-old Mota, a regular lawyer whose life follows a fairly ordinary routine, said, ���Yesterday evening (Wednesday) I was told to be ready on Thursday to appear for Kasab. I don���t mind saying that I was shivering in my shoes when I heard that. My heart began beating fast and my tension suddenly rose, right from the core of my heart. Talk about deciding on a lawyer had been going on for the past few days.������

Mota, who was born in Bhandup, went to Karnataka to study law, and returned to a rented house in Bhandup. He lives there with his wife and mother, and he took the matter home. ���I was under great stress, but my wife and mother supported my decision not to appear for him. He (Kasab) killed my family members. I���m a Mumbaikar, and all the victims are like my family. Why would I ever represent him? But since I���m on the legal aid committee, a refusal could mean losing my sanad (licence to practice law). But my wife said it wouldn���t matter if we had no money and my mother, too, stood by me, saying I should not worry,������ he told TOI.

I felt so relieved, says Mota

MUMBAI: A member of the state legal aid panel, 48-year-old advocate Dinesh Mota was thrown into a personal and moral dilemma on Wednesday, when he was called upon to represent Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving terrorist of the 10 who attacked Mumbai on November 26.

At 11 am on Thursday, Mota, with his family���s support firmly behind him, walked into the first-floor courtroom of additional chief metropolitan magistrate N N Shrimangale at Esplanade, and said: ���I will not appear as legal aid for Kasab even at the risk of my sanad being cancelled.������

He later said, ���I felt so relieved that I don���t recall the magistrate���s exact words. But he was kind enough not to urge me to change my mind. I was ready for any action against me.������

Mota said it was the first time he faced such a in his 10 years as a legal aid advocate. ���I refused to appear for some of the 1993 blasts accused, but I appeared for Tariq Parveen. I have been asked to appear as legal aid lawyer for several cases of arms recovery, even murder cases, and recently, in a case of a false alarm raised in a fight between jail inmates. In one murder case, I failed to rescue the accused, as there was direct evidence against him,������ he said.