Tuesday, December 01, 2009 MUMBAI: The special trial court hearing the 26/11 terror attack case in Mumbai has sacked Abbas Kazmi, the lawyer of Ajmal Kasab, the only captured terrorist of 26/11, for "non-cooperation."Special sessions judge M L Tahiliyani has sacked Kazmi on charges of non co-operation. A new advocate, KP Pawar, also Kazmis junior has been appointed as the new lawyer in the case.Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said Kazmi was removed as he neither withdrew from the case nor cooperate with the court.“The court had ultimately asked him whether he would like to withdraw from the case or whether he would cooperate with the court or the court should take further action. Mr Kazmi refused to withdraw from the case and since he did not co-operate with the court, the court was compelled to cancel his appointment,” said Nikam.Even as the trial will continue at its regular pace, advocate K P Pawar, who now steps into Kazmi's shoes, initially appointed as an assistant to Kazmi, will now take over Kasab's defense. Amidst much hype the special sessions judge had appointed Kazmi as Kasab's lawyer but all through the 7 months the judge was critical of Kazmi's tendency of seeking extensions. So while the examination of affidavits became the immediate provocation, court sources believe his removal was perhaps in the offing for sometime now.
Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...
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