Indian official refutes Kasab’s ‘torture in detention’ claims

The state government’s counsel tells Indian Supreme Court that Kasab was given all constitutional rights.

Indian officials on Wednesday refuted allegations of Mumbai attacks gunman Ajmal Kasab that he was denied a fair trial, Indian newspaper The Times of India has reported.

Gopal Subramaniam, appearing before the Indian Supreme Court on behalf of the Maharashtra state’s government, said that Kasab never tortured or maltreated by authorities and there has been no failure of constitutional rights given to him.

Subramaniam also submitted that the death sentence handed down to Kasab is a permissible means of punishment.

Referring to the entire sequence of events leading to the 26/11 attack, he submitted that had Kasab not been caught alive, it would have been impossible to know that ‘outsiders’ were involved in the mayhem.

Kasab, 24, had on Tuesday pleaded with the court to commute his death sentence to life imprisonment.

Senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who has been appointed amicus curiae by the apex court to defend Kasab, had told the bench that he was not a part of the larger conspiracy for waging war against the nation.

Stressing on Kasab’s age as an important factor to commute his sentence, he had pleaded for leniency, saying Kasab was drawn into the attack as a result of exploitation of religious faith and false ideology.

Kasab’s death penalty was upheld on charges of criminal conspiracy, waging war against the nation and various other provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the anti-terror law – Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.