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.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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