New Delhi: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday opposed 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks accused Ajmal Kasab's plea for leniency in the Supreme Court. Placing arguments in the court, the Maharashtra government said, "Kasab's rights have not been violated."
The Maharashtra government also said that death was a permissible means of punishment. It also claimed that his latest request was a conspiracy.
"Kasab has been dealt with as fairly as possible. He didn't have to go through any torture or wrong treatment," the Maharashtra government said.
Former Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, appearing for the state government, contended that Kasab was never tortured or maltreated and there has been no violation of his constitutional rights.
"At no point of time he was tortured or maltreated by the authorities and there has been no failure of constitutional rights given to him," he submitted before a bench comprising justices Aftam Alam and CK Prasad.
Subramaniam also submitted that death sentence, which has been awarded to Kasab, is a permissible means of punishment.
Referring to the entire sequence of events leading to the 26/11 attack, which was planned by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Pakistan, he submitted that had Kasab not been caught alive, then it would not have been possible to know that outsiders were involved in the mayhem.
In the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Kasab challenging the Bombay High Court judgement, he had claimed he was brainwashed like a "robot" into committing the heinous crime in the name of "God" and that he does not deserve capital punishment owing to his young age.
Kasab, who is lodged in Arthur Road prison in Mumbai, had moved the SLP through the jail authorities. He had challenged his conviction and death sentence in the terror attack case.
The Supreme Court was hearing Ajmal Kasab's plea to convert his death sentence in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case into life imprisonment. The 24-year-old was the only Pakistani terrorist to be caught alive and convicted on four counts. He has appealed for leniency citing his age.
Earlier on Tuesday, senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who has been appointed as the Amicus Curiae by the apex court to defend Kasab, told a bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam that he was not a part of the larger conspiracy for waging war against the nation.
Stressing on Kasab's age as an important factor to commute his sentence, he pleaded for a lenient approach as he was drawn into this by exploitation of religious faith and false ideology.
(With additional information from PTI)
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