The police had captured the lone surviving terrorist Mohammed Aamir Ajmal Qasab, who is lodged in the high-security Arthur Road prison in Mumbai. The attacks were allegedly carried out by 10 Pakistani terrorists.

A special court presided over by judge M. L. Tahilyani conducted a yearlong trial into the case in the prison premises against Qasab and two other accused Faheem Ansari and Shahabuddin Ahmed. Qasab, the main accused, was charged with killing 166 people, while the other two were accused of taking photos of the terror target spots and providing them to the alleged terrorists, nine of whom were gunned down by the police and paramilitary forces on Nov. 26, 2008.

The special government prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam worked hard to prove the charges against Qasab and the two other accused, while the defense counsel K.P. Pawar argued that his client Qasab was innocent and had been in Mumbai as a tourist when the police arrested him and falsely implicated him in the case. He further argued that Qasab was totally innocent and was not involved in the terror attacks and had no role in them. Judge Tahilyani would begin delivering the verdict in the case from Monday and according to police sources, it would take a week’s time to deliver the verdict fully.

Meanwhile, the police have beefed up security around the prison area and have deployed thousands of armed policemen and armored vehicles to prevent any untoward incident.

Qasab’s trial has been conducted in four languages and featured more than 600 witnesses. Despite its complexity, the trial has lasted only about a year — unusual speed for India’s sclerotic judicial system. One of the memorable moments in the trial came in July, when Qasab made a surprise confession. He later retracted that statement, saying he had been tortured. The attacks and subsequent investigation have added pressure to India and Pakistan’s already tense relations.

This month Pakistan asked India to hand over Qasab and codefendant Ansari so they could be tried by Islamabad. India has yet to oblige. Pakistan has brought charges against seven suspected of involvement in the attack, but top Lashkar leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed is not among them, much to India’s ire.

Pakistan has promised to expedite its planned trial of suspects — a key demand of India. The two countries’ leaders agreed last week for their foreign ministers to meet — a key step toward resuming a formal peace dialogue suspended after the Mumbai attacks.

In another development, speaking at a rally to mark Maharashtra Day on Saturday, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said: “In a year’s time elections for the Mumbai Municipal Corporation would be held. It is being said that Mumbai would be separated from Maharashtra and made a Union Territory. We should not allow Mumbai Municipal Corporation to go out of the hands of Sena.”

Lashing out at the north Indian migrants, Thackeray said: “It’s shameful that even after 50 years of foundation of Maharashtra state, we have to fight for the cause of Marathi. Let it be known to one and all that Marathi is our mother tongue and you have to accept it. Hindi is a communication link language, not a national language. If you meet a North Indian, speak to him in Marathi and not Hindi,” Thackeray told Sena workers at the rally.

— With input from agencies