Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone survivor from amongst the ten gunmen who carried out the horrific 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, was sentenced to death by a special court. Kasab was given death penalty on five counts including waging war against the nation, murder, criminal conspiracy and committing terror activities. Kasab, 22 was convicted of all 86 charges against him by a special court in Mumbai for his role in the attacks which killed 166 people, including 23 foreigners.

Pakistani national Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone survivor from amongst the ten gunmen who carried out the horrific 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, was sentenced to death by a special court.

The special anti-terror court of M L Tahaliyani handed down death to 22-year-old Kasab, the lone surviving 26/11 gunman, a year after the trial in the brazen attacks commenced. The prosecution, led by Ujjwal Nikam, had demanded capital punishment for the convicted terrorist while defence lawyer K P Pawar pleaded for life imprisonment on the ground that he was blinded by religion and should be given a chance to reform.





Kasab, 22, was convicted of all 86 charges against him by a special court in Mumbai  for his role in the attacks which killed 166 people, including 23 foreigners.

Kasab was given death penalty on five counts including waging war against the nation, murder, criminal conspiracy and committing terror activities. Asserting that Kasab’s role in the attacks that traumatised the nation fell under the rarest of rare category for giving death sentence, Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam branded him as “a Pakistani killing machine” and a “heartless monster” who revelled in seeing innocent people dying in pain.

The court had acquitted two alleged Indian collaborators-Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed-of the charge of conspiracy, saying there was lack of evidence against them. The duo was charged with having prepared maps of terror targets and handed them over to the Lashkar-e-Taiba for execution of their sinister mission.

Ten terrorists from Pakistan had landed on the placid shores of Mumbai near Badhwar Park on the night of November 26, 2009 on a “Fidayeen” (suicide) mission to mount an attack unparallelled in audacity in virulence. A dumbstruck nation and the world watched live on TV the macabre drama of death and destruction unfolding at the city’s landmarks for close to 60 hours. Kasab and the other gunmen opened fire indiscriminately and hurled hand grandes at places such as the Central Railway’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) (formerly Victoria Terminus), Hotel Taj Mahal, Hotel Oberoi-Trident, Nariman House and Cama Hospital.

Kasab, who hails from Faridkot in Pakistan, was nabbed alive by the police from the Girgaum-Chowpatty police barricade after an encounter. The other nine gunmen, all Pakistanis, were killed in the action by security forces during the 66-hour seige.





As per the law, the death penalty will have to be confirmed by the Bombay High Court. Kasab also has the right to move the High Court against the trial court verdict.

Even if the High Court upholds the judgement, he can go in appeal to the Supreme Court. If the apex court too upholds the sentence, he has the option of filing a mercy petition before the President of India.