Justice JN Patel, acting chief justice and chairman of the MSLSA, on Tuesday announced that Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah would be Kasab’s legal aid.
Barely two weeks after Ajmal Kasab sent an application to the Maharashtra State Legal Service Authority (MSLSA) asking for legal aid, he has been provided with not one, but two counsels to defend him.
Justice JN Patel, acting chief justice and chairman of the MSLSA, on Tuesday announced that Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah would be Kasab’s legal aid.
The two lawyers, with a lot of experience in fighting criminal cases, especially those of bomb blasts, will help Kasab appeal in the high court against the death penalty granted by a special court on May 6.
“The authorities have appointed Amin Solkar and Farhana Shah through two separate orders,” a source from the MSLSA said. “The same orders have been sent to the Arthur road jail authorities.” At present, Kasab is lodged inside a high security cell at the Arthur Road jail.
Neither Solkar nor Shah is on the panel of 36 advocates in the legal aid department. Both lawyers will represent Kasab for the first time as legal aid counsels. Going by the rulebook, the department can appoint someone from the panel or an independent senior lawyer in the interest of justice. For every hearing, a lawyer on the legal aid panel is paid Rs1,000 to Rs2,500.
On May 22, Kasab wrote an application in Urdu asking the MSLSA to provide him with legal aid because he wanted to challenge his death penalty in the high court. The jail authorities translated his letter into Marathi and English and forwarded it to the MSLSA on May 28.
“A lawyer is selected keeping in mind the nature of the case,” KK Sonawane, member, MSLSA, said. “Keeping the seriousness of this case in mind, we may hand it over to the senior most lawyer.”
After meeting Kasab and going through the judgment papers, the lawyers will appeal against the capital punishment. The government too will appoint a senior counsel to argue the confirmation of the death sentence. Both arguments will be heard simultaneously.
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