- Ujjwal Nikam recounted Kasab’s false claims during 26/11 trial.
- Kasab falsely claimed arrest, minor age, and poisoning attempts.
- Nikam disproved claims, highlighting Kasab’s perversion and sadism.
- His execution symbolized a victory for India’s legal system.
Ujjwal Nikam, Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi recently appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 (KBC 18) to promote their upcoming biographical courtroom drama, Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam. During the episode, Nikam, who served as the special public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case, recalled some of the claims made by terrorist Ajmal Kasab during the trial.
Nikam revealed that Kasab had claimed he was not arrested in connection with the 26/11 attacks and had instead been arrested on November 6 at Juhu Chowpatty. He also told the court that he had come to Mumbai to meet Amitabh Bachchan.
‘He Claimed That He Came To See Amitabh Bachchan’
During the episode, footage of the 26/11 attacks was shown, following which Amitabh Bachchan remarked that it took four years to bring Kasab to justice.
Nikam said this raised an important question and recalled Kasab’s behaviour when he first appeared before the court. According to Nikam, Kasab looked at him, seemingly trying to figure out who he was.
“He had earlier said that he was not arrested on 26/11 but on November 6 from Juhu Chowpatty,” Nikam said. He then turned to Amitabh and added, “You’ll be surprised to know what he said next. He said that he came to see Amitabh Bachchan.”
Amitabh, stunned upon hearing this, said, “No, sir, let me tell you now. If he had actually come, he wouldn’t have been able to leave our house. We would have shot him right there.”
Nikam went on to recall several other claims Kasab made during the investigation and trial. “R&AW arrested me; I am a minor. According to your Constitution, you cannot prosecute me,” he claimed Kasab had said.
Nikam explained that establishing Kasab’s age became another challenge, as obtaining his birth certificate from Pakistan was difficult. When Amitabh asked how they determined whether Kasab was a minor, Nikam said they approached the court for an ossification test to determine his bone age and requested that a panel of medical experts be appointed.
“And after the report came, it was revealed,” he said.
Nikam also recalled another instance in which Kasab claimed that authorities were trying to poison him. According to Nikam, Kasab handed over what he claimed was evidence, which was sent for analysis. The report, however, identified it as rice powder.
“So, we had to disprove everything,” Nikam said.
When Amitabh remarked that such legal proceedings take time, Nikam agreed and spoke about the principle of presumption of innocence in Indian law.
“The beauty of Indian law is that every person is presumed to be innocent. Every person should be considered innocent until the charges against them are proven,” he said.
Nikam also revealed that Kasab had received weapons training and a certification indicating that he had ranked first among the trainees.
“Later, he admitted part of his guilt. But what did he tell the court? He said before court that his accomplice Abu Ismail shot people and he did nothing. When we showed him the CCTV footage of him shooting a girl, he was laughing. This is called perversion, sadism. And that is the argument we present in the court…”
Nikam further said that Pakistan did not challenge the circumstances surrounding Kasab’s execution, describing the outcome as a victory for India’s legal system. Kasab was hanged to death on 21 November 2012 at Yerwada Central Jail in Pune at 7:30 am.
About ‘Prahaar’
Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, starring Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi, is directed by Avinash Arun and produced by Dinesh Vijan under the Maddock Films banner. The film was originally scheduled for August 7 but was postponed to avoid a crowded box-office window and is now set to release in cinemas on October 16.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
