Death sentence upheld for Ajmal Kasab for Mumbai attack

Kasab was one of 10 young Pakistanis who launched a terrorist attack on India's financial capital in November 2008, killing 166 people and wounding more than 300.

epa02594526 Indian people shout anti-Pakistan slogans outside the high court as they welcome the confirmation of the death penalty to convicted terrorist Ajmal Kasab, in Mumbai, India, 21 February 2011. The High Court in Mumbai on 21 February 2011 upheld a death sentence for the lone surviving gunman of the November 2008 terrorist attacks in the city, news reports said. Ajmal Kasab, linked to the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, was sentenced to death by a special court on May 6 on charges including mass murder and terrorism. Justices Ranjana Desai and R V More, while confirming the death penalty, also dismissed an appeal filed by Kasab against his conviction by the trial court, the NDTV network reported.   Kasab, 23, was one of the 10 gunmen who targeted several sites in Mumbai in a three-day siege, killing 166 people including 26 foreign nationals. Under Indian law, a death sentence has to be confirmed by a High Court, then by the Supreme Court and finally approved by the president.  EPA/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI *** Local Caption ***  02594526.jpg
Powered by automated translation

MUMBAI // An Indian appeals court on Monday confirmed the conviction and death sentence for the only surviving gunman from the 2008 attacks on Mumbai, which killed 166 people and derailed peace talks with neighboring Pakistan.

"The crime is of enormous proportion," the justices Ranjana Desai and RB More said, while rejecting the appeal by Ajmal Kasab, 22, of Pakistan, who challenged his conviction by a court in May. He had been found guilty of murder, waging war against India, conspiracy and terrorism.

Kasab was one of 10 young Pakistanis who attacked two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre and a busy train station in India's financial capital in November 2008.

A photograph of Kasab striding through Mumbai's main train station with an assault rifle in hand became the iconic image of the attacks.

"Kasab killed innocent people mercilessly. He displayed extreme perversity and never showed any remorse. He is a threat to the society," the judges said.

Kasab can still challenge the verdict in India's highest court, the Supreme Court, and later apply to the Indian government for clemency.

Such motions often keep convicts on death row for years, even decades. India's last execution, of a man convicted of the rape and murder of a schoolgirl, occurred in 2004.

India blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based militant groups. The attacks escalated tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals and prompted them to suspend peace talks.

Suspicions that Pakistan is not doing enough to bring the perpetrators to justice could hamper ties between India and Pakistan which early this month decided to revive peace talks after a gap of more than two years.