The trial of Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab and arrest of Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja in a rape case dominated Mumbai's legal scenario during 2009.
Other issues which made news were arrests of NCP MP Padamsinh Patil's on murder charges and Buta Singh's son Sarobjit Singh in a bribe case, gang rape of a US national and capital punishment for three convicts in the 2003 twin blasts.
In the Kasab trial, over 250 witnesses deposed in the special court set up in the central jail at Arthur Road and at least 30 of them identified him as the gunman who had fired at them.
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam examined FBI officials who have helped Indian team in investigations. Some technical experts from abroad also deposed to prove that mobile phones used by terrorists to communicate with their Pakistani handlers were procured from a dealer in Pakistan.
Midway during the trial, Kasab said he wanted to plead guilty to all the charges. He admitted some charges but disputed few others. His statement was recorded by the Judge M L Tahaliyani and the trial continued. But later he denied his involvement in the gory attacks.
Kasab's lawyer Abbas Kazmi was removed from the case by the judge on the grounds of non cooperation and refusing to accept court's suggestions. His junior K P Pawar took over as the main defence lawyer.
Shiney was arrested on June 14 for allegedly raping his domestic maid at his residence in suburban Oshiwara. More than three months later, he was released on bail by the Bombay High Court.
In another case, NCP leader Patil was arrested by CBI in June for allegedly conspiring and murdering Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar on June 3, 2006 at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.
CBI alleged that Patil had paid a contract sum of Rs 30 lakh to co-accused for murdering Nimbalkar. The motive behind the murder was political and business rivalry. CBI filed over 5,000-page charge sheet on August 20.
Patil was released on bail in September by Alibag sessions court. But within two weeks he was arrested again on a complaint filed against him by social activist Anna Hazare alleging that Patil had offered a contract sum to kill him also. Patil is still in police custody in this case.
Sarobjit alias Sweety was arrested by CBI on July 31 for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs three crore from a Nashik-based contractor Ramrao Patil to close an atrocities case filed against the latter under the SC/ST Act. The bribe amount was bargained and settled at Rs one crore. A special CBI court had granted bail to Sweety a week after he was arrested. CBI is yet to file its charge sheet.
In another development, a 23-year-old US national and student of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was gang raped by six boys at suburban Andheri on April 15. The accused were introduced to the victim by a common friend. The group had gone for partying at Club XO in Deonar after which the boys took the girl, who was drunk, to one of their residences in Andheri where they allegedly raped her.
One of the boys is out on bail while the remaining five are still in jail.
A special POTA court in August sentenced three persons, including a couple, to death for conducting the 2003 twin blasts in Mumbai. Hanif Sayed Anees (46), his wife Fahmida (43) and Arshat Ansari (32) were convicted for carrying out designs of LeT to create terror in India through bomb attacks at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazar on August 25, 2003 killing 54 people and injuring 244 others.
The trio were sent to the gallows after the court observed that it was a rarest of rare case. This is for the first time a couple was convicted of terror acts under POTA.
In yet another important development, a special MCOCA court in August dropped charges from the Malegaon September 2008 blast case in which several members of Abhinav Bharat were arrested including sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Dayanand Pandey, Lt Col S P Purohit and eight others.
The Bombay High Court witnessed end to round one of the biggest corporate legal battle when a division bench headed by Justice J N Patel held that Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries must draft a new agreement for supplying gas from KG basin, as per family settlement between him and younger brother Anil. The legal battle is not yet over, as RIL filed an appeal in the Supreme Court which has reserved its order.
Another ruling by the High Court came as a huge relief for President Pratibha Patil as the court held that there was no evidence to link her brother G N Patil with murder of Vishram Patil, a fellow Congress leader from Jalgaon.
The Maharashtra government faced embarrassment for the second year in a row, when the high court held as illegal the system which provided for only 10 per cent seats for CBSE/ICSE students in Class XI. In the previous year, the court had struck down the formula which gave additional marks to SSC students.
