'I Still Get Trolled Years Later': Advocate Abbas Kazmi Recalls Defending 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attack Convict Ajmal Kasab Amid Public Outrage | Watch

Mumbai: “Several years have passed since the trial against Ajmal Kasab, but I still get trolled on social media,” said advocate Abbas Kazmi, who represented the 26/11 terrorist in court.

In an interview with The Free Press Journal, Kazmi recalled how he was initially reluctant to take up the “dirty job” but went ahead as “someone had to do it”. He said that even today, people refer to him as Kasab’s lawyer and look down upon him. He was appointed by the special judge to defend Kasab in the trial conducted on the premises of Arthur Road prison.

Kazmi said his appointment sparked an uproar, with some people opposing the idea of giving Kasab a fair trial. “Why didn’t they ask the same thing to the doctor who gave Kasab first aid? The doctor could have given a poisonous injection. So when this question is not being asked to the doctor why to an advocate,” Kazmi argued. He underlined that the Constitution gives utmost importance to the fundamental rights of the accused, even if they are not Indian nationals.

Kazmi pointed out that the court had asked him to take up the role, considering it a service to the nation. “Without a proper trial, Kasab or any person can easily walk free. If there is no proper trial, the accused has to be acquitted. Someone had to do the dirty job and I took it up as a challenge,” he said.

Kazmi was selected after the special judge interviewed a dozen lawyers who had expressed interest in representing Kasab. “It all happened by chance. I went to attend the hearing on the first day as it was in the same court where the trial of the 1993 serial blast case was being conducted. I had represented several accused in that case so I went there out of curiosity,” Kazmi recalled.

“Even when the court interviewed interested candidates, I was not keen...but later the court asked my choice and my reply was that I had not thought about it,” he added. Kazmi said his selection came as a “shock” to him.

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