Mother of acquitted 26/11 accused pleased with Mumbai court verdict

MADHUBANI - Shagufta Bano, the mother of Sabauddin Ahmed, one of the two-suspected co-conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks expressed her happiness on Friday at the Mumbai Special Court’s verdict, asserting the decision was as per her expectations.

Shagufta Bano feigned ignorance about the charges levelled against her son.

“We are very happy, but still the mind is upset for that case. We pray that Allah helps us come through that case as well. We will get the actual happiness then. Right now, the happiness is incomplete. But still the Lord has saved our respect,” said Bano, while speaking to the media persons in Gandbal village in Sakari Block of Bihar’s Madhubani District.

Mohammed Aslam, a resident of Sabauddin’s native village said the court’s verdict has ushered moments of happiness in the village and spoke high about him.

“He was a very good boy. When he was arrested all of us were sad to see a boy from our own society and village being trapped in the incident. But as the court has set him free, now the whole village is happy,” said Mohammed Aslam, a resident of Gandbal village

Special judge M L Tahaliyani, while delivering a judgement in 26/11 case that held lone surviving Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab guilty, dismissed all charges against his two Indian suspected co-conspirators.

The judge on Monday dismissed the evidence against them as “unreliable”.

“Prosecution evidence against Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed is unreliable, evidence falls short and cannot be accepted,” the judge observed in his ruling.

The case against these two was considerably weakened by the reported confession in an American court by US terror accused David Headley that he had surveyed the targets for the Lashkar attackers.

A Mumbai Special Court on Thursday sentenced Kasab to death on four counts.

Judge M L Tahaliyani awarded death sentence for Kasab on-waging war against India, murder, conspiracy to murder, and participating in an act of terror under Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA).
Judge Tahaliyani felt that Kasab’s crime fell under the judicial definition of “rarest of rare” and also awarded life term to him on five other counts.
Kasab along with nine other terrorists, who were killed during the gun battle with security forces in Mumbai, was charged with killing 166 people, including 25 foreigners. (ANI)