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The Maharashtra government has no immediate plans to shift Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, sentenced to death in the 26/11 attacks case, from the high-security Arthur Road jail to any other prison in the state.
"We have decided to keep Kasab in Arthur Road jail at least for some time," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Chandra Iyengar told PTI. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of Home Department officials held in Mantralaya on Friday.
Kasab, 22, has been lodged in a specially-made bomb and bullet proof cell in the Arthur Road jail since his arrest in 2008. Normally, only undertrials are lodged in the central prison and after being convicted they are shifted to other jails in Maharashtra, but in case of Kasab a decision has been taken to confine him in the same prison.
"If we have to produce him in the Bombay High Court, the Arthur Road jail is convenient and it already has all the security measures in place. Shifting Kasab to other place can be considered later," Iyengar said.
On the process of appeal in High Court, Home Minister R R Patil had said he would request the Centre to expedite the it to implement the punishment faster.
The special cell for Kasab was constructed after his arrest at a cost of over Rs 2 crore. The Pakistani gunman is placed under the security of 200 Indo-Tibetan Border Police who guard him round-the-clock.
Special CCTV cameras are installed in the cell to keep a watch on him all the time. There are six watch towers in the jail which are manned by armed police personnel.
Such security features do not exist in other jails, hence the decision to keep him in solitary confinement in Arthur Road jail, official sources said.