Mumbai attacks trial adjourned after lawyer's plea

MUMBAI: Judge adjourned Kasab's trial, to allow his new defence lawyers time to prepare their case.

Sitting at a special prison court in Mumbai, judge M L Tahiliyani granted Abbas Kazmi and his junior counsel until May 2 to build their defence for Mohammed Ajmal Kasab. Kazmi had applied for a four-week adjournment.

"Eight days from tomorrow (Thursday) will be sufficient for Mr Kazmi to reply to the address of special public prosecutor Mr (Ujjwal) Nikam in his opening remarks," the judge said.

He also rejected an application for the 11,000-page charge sheet prepared by the prosecution to be translated from English and Hindi into Kasab's mother tongue, Urdu.

"No prejudice at all of any nature will be cause to him (Kasab) if Urdu translations of documents are not supplied" as Kazmi speaks Urdu and only a limited number of witnesses would be examined, he added.

Kazmi was appointed as Kasab's lawyer only last Thursday.

The defendant- who is Pakistani and does not have an interpreter- has said he cannot understand proceedings, which are conducted mainly in English with some Hindi phrases.

Kasab, 21, faces a number of charges, including "waging war" on India, murder and attempted murder in relation with the November 26-29 Islamist militant attacks that left more than 160 people dead and over 300 injured.