The 26/11 accused was also found guilty of murder, along with conspiracy, robbery and other unlawful activities.
Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab was pronounced guilty of waging war on the nation through the 26/11 terror attack, by the Special Court Judge M L Tahiliyani, in the Arthur Road jail, Mumbai, today.
He was also found guilty of murder, especially of Tukaram Ombale, Hemanth Karkare and Ashok Kamte, along with conspiracy, robbery and other unlawful activities.
Fahim Ansari and Sabhauddin Ahmed, who were also accused of being a part of the conspiracy, were acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. The duo was alleged to have given maps of the locations attacked, to the terrorists.
Arguments on Kasab's sentence will start tomorrow.
The special court proceedings began at 11am today, and Kasab was taken through a 20-ft corridor/tunnel that connected his cell to the courtroom, with maximum security. Indeed, unprecedented security measures were set up outside the Arthur Road jail today, and according the ACP, tight security was maintained throughout the trial. Judge M L Tahaliyani began to read out the charges, beginning at around 1pm.
Kasab's trial began on April 15th, 2009, and involved 658 witnesses, of whom 30 eye-witnesses identified Kasab as having fired at them. There is also incriminating DNA evidence along with other technical details that are said to have nailed him.
Overall, 191 hearings took place, and Kasab's name is mentioned in 12 cases, with him being directly accused in 6 of them. He has been charged on 86 counts - from murder to conspiracy to waging war against the nation. The trial ended on March 31st, 2010, making it the fastest trial ever involving terrorism in India.
Kasab has been tried by the Indian courts after he, along with 9 others, launched an unprecedented terror attack on 26th November, 2008, across different locations in Mumbai, holding it under a virtual siege for 60 hours. The terrorists (accused of being members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based terrorist organization) reached India after sailing from Pakistan, and carried out an assault that killed 166 people and injured over 300.
Their targets included iconic Mumbai landmarks such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), the Oberoi Trident, the Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Leopold Café, Cama Hospital (a women and children's hospital), the Orthodox Jewish-owned Nariman House, and the Metro Cinema.
Kasab, 23, and his mate Abu Dera Ismail Khan, 25, opened fire at the most populous Mumbai suburban train station Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus, taking 58 innocent lives mercilessly. Kasab's capture is credited primarily to Asst Sub Inspector Tukaram Ombale, who was armed with just a lathi. Ismail died in the chase, and so, in various encounters, did the other 8 terrorists, thereby making Kasab the lone survivor.
Though Kasab has been pronounced guilty, the Indian law provides a chance for him to challenge the decision in higher courts and prove himself undeserving of the sentence. He can also plea for clemency from the President of India.
Meanwhile, Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi - the alleged mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks - is still in Pakistan and undergoing his trial there. According to his lawyer, Lakhvi will not be extradited to India, which will lead to the case against him falling flat because Pakistan has failed to get hold of Kasab, who is possibly the only one who could give evidence against Lakhvi.