HC allows deposition of NSG commandos with restrictions

The Division Bench, consisting of Justice J N Patel and Justice Amjad Sayed, in its oral order, said the defence and prosecution in the case will question the commandos on their tactis used to handle the terror attack. They will also ask limited questions to commandos as far as their opretional qualifications, the bench directed.

The court said that the state has to obtain the high court's permission before calling further commandos as witness except the three summoned by the court.

The Bench had also asked the Central Government to file its say and objections in detail tomorrow.

The order was passed in response to the central goverment petition, challenging the designated court's decision to summon NSG commandos to depose in the ongoing trial. Additional Solicitor General Darius Khambatta, who had appeared on behalf of the Central Government, strongly opposed the desigated court's order on the grounds that the deposition of the commandos may reveal certain facts which will be used by terrorist groups for other attacks. Designated Judge M L Tahiliyani, who is conduting the trial, had summoned three NSG commandos -- Lt Col Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Major Ravindra Prakash and Captain Anil Jakhad, who were part of the team that stormed the Taj Mahal Palace, Hotel Oberoi Trident and Nariman House during the terror strikes, to testify regarding the operations carried out by them.

Meanwhile, in a related development, a CD containing conversations between the terrorist group and Indian TV channel was played in the designated court in which terrorists said that they are doing this because Indian goverment is biased towards minorities, and that while it (the government) talked about implementing the Sachar recommendations, the administrations was doing nothing for them and muslim youths were booked in false cases.

Besides this, conversations between terrorist groups, intercepted at Oberoi Hotel, were also played in the court in which their Pakistan handlers were guiding the militants.

-- (UNI) -- 04BY31.xml

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