'We wanted to throw a shoe at Qasab'

Law college students attend terrorist's trial as a case study

Law college students attend terrorist's trial as a case study

It's one of the most important cases of our time. So, quite naturally, the Mohammad Ajmal Qasab trial has become an important case study for law college students.
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Last month, the Government Law College (GLC) and Siddharth College got permission for its students to attend the trial and this month, it'll be K C College students.

Ujwal Nikam, public prosecutor, said, "Students of the two colleges did come last month.
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Since there is good security, they can be allowed to attend the trial." The students, however, aren't allowed to speak to the terrorist.
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"They can just listen to the proceedings. Nobody has been allowed to speak to Qasab till today," said Qasab's lawyer Abbas Kazmi.

Frisking: Just like public prosecutor Ujwal Nikam, Gauraj Shah (inset), a third-year student of Government Law College, and his classmates were checked thrice before entering the courtroom.

6 hours

It is not known when the K C College students will attend the trial. "Third-year students, as a part of their curriculum, have to attend one civil and one criminal case.

Students learn how proceedings take place in court. Only 20 students and one college professor are allowed to attend Qasab's trial," said Nilima Chandiramani, principal of K C Law College.

Gauraj Shah (23), a third-year student of GLC was one of the first students to get a glimpse of Qasab.

"We were the first batch of law students to attend the trial. We were given permission to attend for one day and we were in the court for six hours. We were checked thrice before entering."

Gauraj and his classmates had different emotions at the end of the day. "One of my friends wanted to throw a shoe at Qasab, while another felt pity," he said.

Dos and Don'ts

The day before Government Law College students attended the Qasab trial, Public Prosecutor Ujwal Nikam briefed them.

They were told to come to court empty-handed, as mobile phones, watches, wallets, pens, notebooks and even earrings weren't allowed in the courtroom. A pen and note pad would be provided to them.

Meeting Maria

Last year, students from G J Advani College and K C College visited Arthur Road and Byculla jails, following a High Court judgment directing law students to provide legal aid to underprivileged convicts.

After that visit, some students revealed that they interacted with Maria Susairaj (pictured), the co-accused in the Neeraj Grover murder case.