Interesting to read similar case of U turn on the same day. S V SAI BABA
Kasab's U-turn again, retracts guilt plea Fri, Jan 22 07:38 PM Mumbai, Jan 22 (PTI) Six months after he surprised the 26/11 court by confessing to his role in the Mumbai carnage, Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab today said his guilt plea last July was made under duress from police. It is not for the first time that Kasab has made a U-turn. He had earlier disowned his confession made before a magistrate about the 26/11 terror conspiracy and his role in the dastardly strikes. Three days back, Kasab had claimed that four terrorists who had struck at Taj hotel were Indians. Today, Kasab retracted his guilt plea made on July 20 last in which he had talked about attending an LeT camp in Pakistan, arriving in Mumbai from Karachi by sea route, firing at people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Cama Hospital and fighting a gun battle with policemen at Girgaum Chowpatty. "Yes I had said all this earlier in the court but it was under police pressure," Kasab said in reply to questions put by judge M L Tahaliyani on evidence adduced by prosecution against him. As soon as the judge began asking him questions on the guilt plea made by him, Kasab complained that his advocate K P Pawar was not helping him. However, the judge rebuked him saying he had asked him to talk to his lawyer yesterday but he did respond. ________________________________ From: Srinivasan MS <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, 22 January, 2010 9:11:54 PM Subject: Approver turns hostile in Sankararaman murder case Approver turns hostile in Sankararaman murder case The Hindu http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/22/stories/2010012258650100.htm http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article87753.ece January 22, 2010 Front Page Approver in Sankararaman case turns hostile Staff Reporter Ravi Subramanian says he became approver under external pressure -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Claims he and his family were harassed in custody The judge posted the case for February 11 and 12 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PUDUCHERRY: In a new twist to the Sankararaman murder case, Ravi Subramanian, who had become an approver during the course of investigation, turned hostile when he was examined by the Special Public Prosecutor at the Principal District and Sessions Court here on Thursday. During examination by Special Public Prosecutor N. Devadass, Subramanian informed the court that he became an approver under external pressure. He was coerced by the police to turn an approver and give statement favouring the investigation. Contradicting all the statements made before the lower court and the police about identifying the accused, his connections with a few accused persons and his visits to the Mutt to plan the murder, Subramanian said he neither knew the accused persons nor about the murder plan. He also informed the court that the police did not seize any documents from his custody. Contradictory statements Following his contradictory statements, the SPP informed Principal District and Sessions Judge D. Krishnaraja that he was treating him as a hostile witness. Subsequently, Subramanian was cross-examined by defence counsel K.S Dinakaran and Prakash. Subramanian deposed that before he was produced in the Kancheepuram Court on December 27, 2004, he was in illegal custody for around 15 days and was harassed by then Superintendent of Police Premkumar and Additional Superintendent of Police Sakthivel. Maintaining that the harassment caused physical and mental agony, he said his wife and children were also in police custody and harassed. Stating the truth Since his wife and children were in the police custody, he, out of fear, gave a statement dictated by the police before the court, Subramanian said, adding that he was now stating the truth because the officers who arrested him were not in service. Subramanian who was first treated as an accused in the case during preliminary investigation by the police later became an approver. He was then treated as witness in the case. cnu.pne The INTERNET now has a personality. YOURS! See your Yahoo! Homepage. http://in.yahoo.com/
