The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab’s plea against his death sentence today. Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, had pleaded the Supreme Court to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment on February 14.
Kasab, who was not represented by a counsel at the trial and the appealate stages in the Bombay High Court appealed to the Supreme Court that he was not given a free and fair trial in the case. In his appeal, he also said he was brainwashed into committing the crime in the name of ‘God’. Kasab said he did not deserve capital punishment because of his young age.
Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who was asked to defend Kasab, told a Bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam that he was not a part of the larger conspiracy for waging a war against the nation.
Even as Kasab’s legal battle has continued for the last four years, the cost of keeping him alive has proved to be a burden on the state exchequer.
So far the cost of keeping Kasab in his cell has proved to be Rs 25 crore. The high security cell at Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail costs Rs 5.25 crore. Rs 19 crore has been spent by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police for security. Salaries to the policemen protecting Kasab adds up to Rs 1.23 crore.
Kasab’s medical expenses have cost Rs 28,000 and his food came up to Rs 35,000.
166 people were killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks when 10 Pakistani terrorists sailed from Karachi to Mumbai 11 to show India a side of terror it had never dreamt possible. While Kasab was captured, all the other terrorists who had sailed with him and attacked Mumbai were killed during counter-terror operations.