The Hindu : Front Page : Hang me if my guilty plea is suspect: Ajmal

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Thursday, Jul 23, 2009
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Hang me if my guilty plea is suspect: Ajmal

Staff Reporter

Mumbai: Moving up one notch from his admission of guilt, Mohammad Ajmal Amir ‘Kasab’ on Wednesday asked the Special Sessions Court to hang him in case there were doubts that he pleaded guilty with the motive of getting a lesser sentence.

“If anyone has a doubt that I have confessed to avoid the death sentence, then beshaq phasi ki saza do [by all means hang me],” the lone surviving gunman of 26/11 told the court at the Arthur Road jail here.

Earlier, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam contended that Ajmal’s guilty plea was a shrewd move to escape the death penalty.

On Wednesday, Mr. Nikam called attention to the manner in which Ajmal’s plea was recorded on Monday. He said the court had to ensure that the accused was fully aware of the consequence of his admission and that his decision to confess was voluntary. “The whole procedure was irregular,” Mr. Nikam said.

Judge M.L. Tahaliyani, refuting his contention, said all safeguards were in place and the court had recorded Ajmal’s statement verbatim. In a bid to re-establish Ajmal’s freewill, Mr. Tahaliyani asked him if he was confessing under pressure, to which the gunman said ‘No’.

The judge took on record an earlier statement by Ajmal in which he said: “The world will punish me for what I have done in this world. I do not want god’s punishment; I seek punishment from this world.”

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