Kasab gets 2 lawyers to defend him

Mumbai: Two lawyers, including senior advocate Anjali Waghmare, were on Monday appointed to defend the lone terrorist caught in the Mumbai terror strikes, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, by the special sessions court which set April 6 as the date for commencing the trial in the case.

Judge M L Tahilyani appointed Waghmare, a lawyer from the Maharashtra Service Legal Authority, to defend Kasab once the trial begins in the high security Arthur Road prison. She will be assisted by a junior lawyer.

Three-tier security for Kasab

Kasab, who attended the court proceedings through video conferencing from the Arthur Road jail, where he is presently lodged, was introduced to Waghmare by the judge.

The court informed Kasab that his lawyer would brief him on April 6. Waghmare would also assist him in reading the police chargesheet as she was familiar with Marathi and English.

Clad in a grey shirt, Kasab, who was sporting a trimmed beard, smiled and nodded at Waghmare after which he told the court that he wanted to read newspapers.

Complete coverage of Mumbai terror attack

Judge Tahilyani said he would consider all his requests once the trial begins in the special court set up inside the Arthur Road jail.

During the last hearing, Kasab had requested the court to appoint a lawyer for him from the state legal aid cell. Following this, the court had prepared a panel of 17 lawyers from the cell.

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