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Lawyer seeks time to decide defending Kasab
Published on Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 14:56, Updated on Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 18:46 in India section
Tags: Mumbai Terror Attack, Anjali Waghmare , Mumbai
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Mumbai: Anjali Waghmare, the lawyer appointed to represent lone terrorist arrested in 26/11 attack Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, on Tuesday told the special court that she needed a day to consider whether she would appear in the case following protests at her residence on Monday night.
"I am under a lot of pressure. Give me one day to decide and think over it," an emotional Waghmare told special judge ML Tahiliyani.
"The media has exaggerated and is saying that I have taken the case up voluntarily. There were more than 300 persons outside my house yesterday," she told the court.
Asking the media to give the correct message to the public, Waghmare said the mob outside her house had questioned how she could represent Kasab despite being a police official's wife.
Waghmare, an advocate from the Maharashtra legal aid, was appointed by the court on Monday to represent Kasab in the upcoming trial of the terrorist on April 6.
"Why has not media gone to Uddhav Thackeray over the attack? Who is the mob to decide whether the trial will go on or not?" Waghmare said.
Earlier, there were reports that Waghmare would be replaced as lawyer for Kasab or she could withdraw herself from the case.
Sources say there is a conflict of interest as she's the wife of a Mumbai Police officer and many policemen were killed in the 26/11 attack.
Maharashtra's Home Minister Jayant Patil had assured Waghmare of police protection after the protests by Shiv Sena activists outside her residence on Monday night.
Mumbai Police have arrested nine Shiv Sainiks, including three women in the case.
However, Shiv Sena's legal counsel Rahul Narvekar defended his party's protest saying there a loophole in the legal system which can be used by the accused saying in the 26/11 case.
"There is a loophole in the system which gives rights to people like Kasab who come from outside and wreak havoc on our people. We do not deny that everyone deserves legal counsel. You cannot stop a trial just because someone like Kasab is not getting a lawyer. His is an open and shut case so there should be no delay in justice," he said.
But Waghmare isn't the first to be attacked for taking up Kasab's case.
On December 13, 2008, noted criminal lawyer Ashok Sarogi faced protests for indicating he was willing to take up the case. Nearly 200 activists of Bal Thackeray-led Shiv Sena held demonstrations outside Sarogi's home in Malad, Mumbai and pelted stones.
Two days later on December 15 over 100 Shiv Sena activists attacked the house of renowned lawyer Mukesh Deshmukh, who stepped up to take the case.
The protestors then met the office-bearers of Amravati Bar Association and requested them to take action against Deshmukh.
¤On December 18, two unidentified men vandalised the home of KBN Lam just a day after he moved an application in a session's expressing his willingness to defend Kasab in a court. He had even sent Kasab letter in Urdu, urging him to accept him as his lawyer.
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