26/11 case: Pak defence skips cross-examination MUMBAI: The defence team in the Pakistani judicial commission declined to cross-examine the first two 26/11 witnesses on the first day of proceedings at the Esplanade court on Tuesday. The commission was here after Pakistan was given permission to cross-examine witnesses in the terror case after a long-drawn process. Special public prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam, representing the government of India, said the two witnesses, Dr Shailesh Mohite and Dr Ganesh Nithurkar, and members of the commission were present in court before proceedings commenced at 11 am. "Mohite continued to depose that he had conducted the autopsy of the deceased terrorist Ismail," Nikam said. "He further stated that the body was identified by the police officer who brought terrorist Ajmal Kasab and Ismail to Nair Hospital on the night of the attacks." The defence objected to the further recording of evidence and said the objective was to cross-examine the witnesses. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate P Y Ladekar ruled out the objection, said Nikam said. "The defence said that a copy of the post-mortem report was not furnished to it and so the prosecution could not lead the evidence on this point," Nikam said. The defence refused to accept the report despite the prosecution being ready to furnish it. Dr Mohite, head of forensic medicine, Nair Hospital, said he had been called as witness in the case earlier and the prosecution continued to record his evidence on Tuesday. "They asked me how many bodies we had received during and after the carnage, how many autopsies I conducted and what were the kind of wounds that we found," he said, adding that the process lasted for two hours. Nikam said the Pakistani public prosecutors requested the court to produce the inflatable boat, satellite phone, mobiles and the Yamaha engine used by the accused. "The prosecutor said that the articles should be produced in order to establish that they were purchased in Pakistan by the co conspirators of Ajmal Kasab," Nikam said. Judge Ladekar allowed the request and ordered the articles requested to be produced on Wednesday. The court premises were heavily secured and no one other than those directly involved in the case were allowed inside the court room. The two witnesses to be cross examined on Wednesday include investigating officer Ramesh Mahale and magistrate R V Sawant Waghule. While Mahale had filed the chargesheet in the terror case, Waghule recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab. "The proceedings are likely to be concluded on Wednesday," Nikam said. An earlier judicial commission from Pakistan had recorded the statements of the witnesses in March last year. The commission was not allowed to cross examine the witnesses. The Rawalpindi court had refused to accept the statements on the grounds that a trial is incomplete without cross-examination by defence. Later four member Indian delegation visited Pakistan and had a discussion with his Pakistani counterparts on this issue and agreed on the cross examination.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Sep 2013 01:16:58 +0000
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