Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has appointed advocate Amin Solkar as the lawyer for Ajmal Kasab, who has been handed the death sentence by a special court for his role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Advocate Farhana Shah will assist Amin Solkar.
Kasab had written to the Free Legal Aid Committee on May 22 asking for a lawyer to help him fight the death sentence. The two lawyers were chosen from those on the committee.
Kasab, a Pakistani, was the only terrorist caught alive during the attacks. Nine others were killed. He was tried by a special court at the Arthur Road jail, where he was kept after 26/11 in a bulletproof, bomb-proof cell.
Judge ML Tahaliyani had found Kasab guilty of waging war against India and of conspiracy to murder. One hundred and sixty six people died in the Mumbai attacks.
Legal experts say seeking a lawyer was Kasab's first step in a formal appeal in the Bombay High Court against the verdict and the sentence against him. Standard procedure requires the High Court to ratify the death sentence given by Tahaliyani to Kasab.
Both Solkar and Shah are seasoned advocates.
Amin Solkar is a well-known criminal lawyer in Maharashtra and has represented accused in several terror-related cases including the 1993 Mumbai blasts, the 2006 Malegaon blast, the Aurangabad arms haul case and Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) related cases.
Farhana Shah shot to fame for representing Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 bomb-blasts-related case.