Mumbai, May 6 (IANS) Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab broke down Thursday in the court room after he was sentenced to death for the Mumbai terror attack. But the public prosecutor called it "crocodile tears".
The 23-year-old from Pakistan's Punjab province was seen crying as he was led back to the court room after stepping out briefly with the judge's consent to drink water.
Walking slowly, he wiped his tears before returning to the dock where he sat down, his head bowed.
Kasab, the only one of 10 Pakistani terrorists taken alive after the November 2008 slaughter in Mumbai, looked downcast during his stay in the court at the Arthur Road prison.
At times, he sat with his right hand covering his mouth.
At one point, special judge M.L. Tahaliyani asked the defence lawyer if Kasab wanted to say something.
When the question was posed to him, Kasab just shook his head. He looked irritated and again sat down.
The judge then spoke directly to the prisoner in Hindi: "Do you want to say something?"
Kasab looked at the judge blankly, shook his head and sat down.
Speaking later, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said: "Those were crocodile tears." Nikam went on to recite a Sanskrit verse to mean that no matter how much milk is given to a snake, it will always spew venom.
"Mujhe kuch nahi kahna hai" (I don't want to say anything), was Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab's reaction just after he was sentenced to death for the Mumbai terror attack.
This observation was made to defence lawyer K.P. Pawar when the latter asked him if he wanted to say anything in response to the sentence handed down by judge M.L. Tahaliyani.
"The court asked us, does the convict have anything to say? You can discuss and tell us," Pawar told reporters later, giving an account of the final moments of one of India's most high profile trials.
"I spoke to him. I asked him: do you want to say something? Kasab said: 'I don't want to say anything.' This I told the court."
Pawar was asked if the Pakistani proposed to challenge the death penalty. "I will get a chance (to again talk to him). These things will be decided (then)."