India: Judge removes Ajmal Kasab's defence lawyer

[Naveed Yaseen]

MUMBAI (December 01 2009): The lawyer for the lone surviving gunman accused of the Mumbai attacks was removed from the case on Monday for non-co-operation, days after the country marked the first anniversary of the three-day siege that killed 166 people. Abbas Kazmi, the attorney for Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the only one of the 10 gunmen captured last November, was dismissed by judge M.L. Tahilyani for refusing to follow the court's directive, which the judge said was aimed at delaying the trial.

Kazmi's assistant K.P. Pawar will now represent Kasab. "The court has today cancelled the appointment of defence attorney Abbas Kazmi and appointed his assistant as the lead defence lawyer in the case," said public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. "There will not be any further delays to the trial as I have already presented 340 witnesses," he said. The trial, which has gripped the country for about eight months, has seen several twists and turns, with a previous defence attorney also dismissed for unprofessional conduct and Kasab making a surprise guilty plea.

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