-
Advertisement
Asia

Mumbai gunman seeks Indian president’s mercy

Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
Indian soldiers patrol outside Mumbai's Arthur Road Prison where the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks is being held. Photo: AFP

The lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks applied for clemency on Tuesday from the Indian president in a final bid to avoid the gallows.

Pakistan-born Mohammed Kasab, one of 10 gunmen who laid siege to Mumbai in attacks that lasted nearly three days, sent his petition through officials at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai where he is being held, the Press Trust of India said.

“We have sent a mercy petition to the president filed by Kasab,” the news agency quoted a senior official at the high-security prison as saying.

Advertisement

Kasab was sentenced to death in May 2010 after he was found guilty of a string of charges, including waging war against India, murder and terrorist acts.

He had appealed against the sentence in the Supreme Court, claiming he did not receive a fair trial, but his petition was struck down last month.

Advertisement

Prisoners can often languish for years on death row in India, with only one execution having taken place in the last 15 years – that of a former security guard hanged in 2004 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl.

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x