After much drama and the appointment of a new lawyer, the trail of Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai terror attacks, continues for the second day on Saturday in a special court of Mumbai.
There is speculation that Qasab now wants to retract his confessional statement, so prosecution is now relying on circumstantial evidence in the case.
Armed with a lawyer and a new strategy, Ajmal Qasab sprung a surprise on the very first day of the trial on Friday. He applied to retract his confession, which had detailed the plot, the journey and the role of the terrorists.
Qasab's lawyer Abbaz Kazmi said, "Qasab was tortured and coerced, forced into signing the confession."
This came shortly after the claim that he was just 17 and could not be tried by this court, an argument the judge did not entertain.
The judge still has to decide whether to allow the confession to be withdrawn. But the fact is in this case, it may not make a difference given the volume of evidence already with the police. But it does show that Qasab is likely to fight it out and plead not guilty.
