In the fastest-ever trial of terror attack cases in India, the 26/11 court that pronounced its verdict today had recorded 3,192 pages of evidence by examining 658 witnesses on 271 working days in less than a year.
As compared to this, the longest terror trial was that in the 1993 Mumbai serial blast case which took 14 years to conclude.
The 26/11 case against Ajmal Kasab and two Indians Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed began on May 8 last year after judge M L Tahaliyani was appointed to preside over the court located in a specially-built bullet and bomb proof premises in the high-security Arthur Road jail.
Normally, lower and high courts do not function during summer and winter vacations but the 26/11 special court worked during holidays to examine the mammoth evidence adduced by the prosecution.
Of the 658 witnesses, 296 deposed in person while 362 affirmed their statements on affidavits which were tabled before the court by special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
The prosecution submitted 1,015 articles which were seized during investigations and filed 1,691 documents to support its case.
The nine staff members of the court worked overtime for about a year to finish the trial in a record time and the judge sought additional hands from the sessions court to help his staff with administrative matters.