26/11 convict Kasab hanged at 7.30 am, says Maharashtra Home Ministry
New Delhi: The Maharashtra Home Ministry on Wednesday
confirmed that 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks convict Ajmal Kasab was
hanged at 7.30 am at Pune's Yerwada jail. President Pranab Mukherjee had
rejected his mercy plea on November 8, said Maharashtra Home Minister
RR Patil.
"His execution is a tribute to the victims of 26/11 attacks,"
said Patil. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told CNN-IBN
that Kasab was shifted out of Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to Pune's
Yerwada Jail two days ago. Yerwada Jail is meant for convicts and has
provision for their execution. The CM admitted that secrecy had been
maintained over Kasab's execution as they did not want to compromise the
security situation in any way.
Sources said that Kasab was provided all information before the
execution and the jail manual was followed. When he was asked for his
last wish and whether he had a will, Kasab said no. Yerwada Jail sources
said that the High Court had been asked to inform Kasab's family.
In September, the Maharashtra Home Ministry had recommended that the LeT
terrorist's mercy plea be rejected. Kasab had been sentenced to death
in May 2010 for his role in the savage attacks that ripped apart Mumbai
on 26 November 2008, killing over 150 people, including several
foreigners.
On August 29 this year, the Supreme Court had confirmed the death
penalty awarded to Kasab by the trial court and later upheld by the
Bombay High Court.
A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and CK Prasad had dismissed the
25-year-old's plea challenging his conviction and death sentence in the
26/11 case.
He was given a copy of the judgement earlier in September. When
the terrorist, lodged in bomb-proof "anda cell" (egg shaped cell), was
first informed about the apex court upholding his death penalty, Kasab
did not appear shocked, a jail officer said.
Kasab and nine other Pakistani terrorists had landed in south
Mumbai on November 26, 2008 after traveling from Karachi by sea and had
gone on a shooting spree at various landmarks, killing 166 people,
including foreigners.
While Kasab was captured alive, the other terrorists were killed by security forces.
According to the Home ministry's fact-sheet on people on death
row, a total of 29 mercy petitions involving 52 condemned prisoners,
seeking pardon, under Article 72 of the constitution are still pending
with the Central Government.
At least seven of the condemned prisoners - six from Uttar
Pradesh and one from Tamil Nadu - have been able to survive for over 12
years as their mercy pleas have remained pending with Rashtrapati Bhawan
since 1998.
Seven others, figuring in five other mercy petitions filed in
1999, have been able to survive for 11 years as the president is yet to
take any decision on their mercy pleas.
Five condemned prisoners who filed their mercy petitions in 2000
and 25 other condemned prisoners who filed their mercy petitions between
2001-06 are also awaiting a decision from the president.
During the last decade (1990-2000), the president rejected seven
mercy petitions and commuted the sentences of two, while in the previous
decade (1980-89) out of 45 mercy petitions, 41 were rejected and four
commuted.
