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MUMBAI, April 21, 2009 (AFP) - The lawyer for the Pakistani on trial in India over last year's Mumbai attacks on Tuesday asked for the case to be adjourned for one month to allow him to construct a proper defence.
Abbas Kazmi was only appointed to represent Mohammed Ajmal Kasab last Thursday and has yet to wade through the 11,000-page chargesheet prepared by the prosecution.
He also asked a judge at a special prison court in Mumbai for the dossier to be translated into Urdu, Kasab's mother tongue.
The defendant, who does not have a translator, on Monday complained that he could not follow proceedings, which are mainly in English with some Hindi phrases, saying the only words he understood were 'Kasab' and 'Pakistan.'
Both requests were "in the interests of justice and a fair trial," Kazmi submitted, supporting his applications with case law.
"No procedure can be said to be fair, just and reasonable which denies the appointed lawyer adequate time to prepare the case before the trial commences," he told the judge.
"If I don't have proper instructions (from Kasab) it will be impossible for me to proceed."
In response, public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam accused Kazmi of 'delaying tactics' and said the state was under no obligation to provide translations.
The judge will rule on the matter on Wednesday.
Kasab, 21, faces a number of charges, including 'waging war' on India, murder and attempted murder in connection with the November 26-29 Islamist militant attacks that left more than 160 people dead and over 300 injured.
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