Kasab challenges death sentence, seeks lawyer

MUMBAI: A month after being sentenced to death for the Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab has filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging the verdict and sought a lawyer from the legal aid panel to argue his case.

Kasab filed the appeal through the jail authorities and his plea for a lawyer has been forwarded to the Court Legal Services Committee (HCLSC), jail sources said on Friday. The HCLSC would now forward Kasab’s request for a lawyer before Acting Chief Justice J N Patel, who is patron in chief of Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority and senior Judge and Chairperson of HCLSC, Justice Ranjana Desai.

Kasab has a right to remain present before the High Court bench which would hear his appeal and in such an event the state would have to ensure that he is brought amidst tight security from the Arthur Road Jail where he is currently lodged.

Although Kasab had 60 days to decide on filing an appeal, he exercised his choice within a month and his petition along with the 1500-page judgement has been forwarded to the High Court, they said. The trial court had sentenced him to death for Mumbai attacks.