MUMBAI: A few days before the trial, a special court judge yesterday issued an order prohibiting the media from telecasting or publishing any material that may be used as evidence against Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone surviving Mumbai terror attack suspect.
The Mumbai Crime Branch investigating the case had petitioned the court seeking a ban on telecast of crucial evidence gathered against Qasab and two others, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the terror attacks. The move came after private news channels aired clips of the terror strikes at Taj hotel and Trident.
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said that the evidence published by the media was affecting the case.
“This could not only hamper the investigation process, but also expose the witnesses to threats. To prevent this, the police had sought court’s permission to prohibit the media from publishing any evidence,’’ said Nikam, adding, “Media houses telecasting or publishing such material will be prosecuted and may also be booked under the Official Secrets Act.’’ Qasab and two others alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives — Fahim Ansari and Shahabuddin Ahmed — will face trial for their involvement in the attacks.
Meanwhile, security measures put in place in the vicinity of Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail where Qasab is lodged is causing inconvenience to public, a member of the ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said in the Assembly on Wednesday.
“People are facing problems due to the security measures in place for Ajmal Qasab,’’ Sachin Ahir of NCP said.
In another development, the working president of the Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray yesterday evening released the first list of 15 out of the 22 Sena candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. The remaining list of seven candidates would be released in a day or two, he said.
Out of the 15 names that were declared, seven of the candidates presently are Members of Parliament while eight candidates are new.
