Kasab's trial proceedings to begin today

Mumbai, July 22 (ANI): A special court will today begin proceedings in the trial of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist involved the terror attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.

On Tuesday, a court had adjourned the hearing after prosecution sought time to file its reply on Kasab's confession.

Confessing before the court, Kasab said that he and his slain partner Abu Ismail were directed to start firing indiscriminately at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), take hostages and attack those policemen who tried to rescue the hostages.

Meanwhile, Kasab's defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi said that his client's admissions could not be treated as confession to the crime.

Kasab had pleaded guilty to the offence before a Mumbai court on Monday. For the first time in his confession, Kasab said, "Mujhe mera gunha kabool hai (I plead guilty to my crime)."

Narrating the entire plot, he confessed that he came along with nine other terrorists in a boat from Karachi.

Kasab also owned up for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks at the CST and at Cama Hospital.

He named Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative and alleged mastermind Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi a key conspirator, saying he was instructed to conduct a fidayeen (suicide) attack in Mumbai.

The trial in the terror attacks case is likely to be completed before Diwali in October, Special Judge M L Tahilyani indicated on July 16.

Until now, over 133 of the total 150 witnesses have been examined in the different cases of the 26/11 attacks filed against Kasab.

Kasab has been charged with murder, conspiracy and waging war against India along with other crimes. His trial was to have started on April 15 but was put off as his lawyer, Anjali Waghmare, had been dismissed for a conflict of interest. He has sicne been represented by a new lawyer named Abbas Kazmi.

Kasab is the only attacker captured alive by police and is currently in custody. He was captured on CCTV during his attacks at the CST along with another terrorist, Ismail Khan.

The Government of Pakistan initially denied that Kasab was from Pakistan, but in January 2009, it officially accepted that he was a Pakistani citizen.Kasab' s confession came two days after the Pakistan Government filed a chargesheet against five 26/11 prime accused suspects. (ANI)