Mumbai, Dec 9 (IANS) The prosecution in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial will overshoot the Thursday deadline to wrap up the recording of evidence as two key witnesses are not in town.
Now the prosecution hopes it will be able to complete the first phase of recording the evidences only by Dec 15, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam indicated here Wednesday.

Two crucial witnesses - Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Deven Bharti and Assistant Commissioner of Police Ramesh Mahale, who is the chief investigating officer - are away in Nagpur for the Maharashtra Legislature’s winter session.

Hence, they could not be present in the Special Court as planned. Nikam told mediapersons that he is hopeful of winding up the first phase of the trial by Dec 15.

Nikam Wednesday examined four medical officers who conducted an autopsy on some of the victims of the attacks at Cama Hospital and at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

However, defence lawyer K.P. Pawar, representing the sole Pakistani terror accused to be caught alive, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, sought time to study the autopsy reports.

Meanwhile, Nikam would continue examining a few more medical officers Thursday and Friday, while Pawar will start his cross-examination of these witnesses from Monday.

Last Monday, Special Judge M. L. Tahaliyani urged the prosecution to complete the recording of evidence in the case by Thursday (Dec 10).

Recording of evidence will signal the end of the first phase of the eight-month long trial against Kasab and two of his associates, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Mohammed.

So far, Nikam has examined 274 witnesses. This would be followed by the defence lawyers summoning their witnesses, if any.

Later, Special Judge Tahaliyani would examine the three accused and allow them to record their statement vis-à-vis the evidences recorded against them as per the law.

Then, the final arguments between the prosecution and defence lawyers will start followed by the long-awaited judgement to be pronounced by Tahaliyani.

In all probability, the judgement is expected to be delivered by mid-January 2010.