Examining the National Security Guard personnel who carried out the counter-terrorist operations during the 26/11 attacks at the Taj and Trident-Oberoi hotels, and also at Colaba’s Nariman House, could expose their techniques and these could be used by terrorists, the prosecution has told the special court.

In a reply to the court, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said, “Examination of the commandos would be only of academic interest as the NSG had, after adopting skill operations and using secret techniques, successfully encountered the said terrorists.”

The reply was filed on October 5, after the special sessions judge ML Tahaliyani had told the prosecution to consider examining the NSG commandos who had carried out the operations and also record their statements. The court had also said that if at all the prosecution doesn’t examine them as witnesses, then it would, under Section 311 of the CrPC, consider examining them as court witnesses.

In his eight-page reply, Nikam said, “The NSG techniques are kept very secret and it cannot be exposed in any manner in the public interest. Further, if these techniques and methods of neutralisation of terrorist activities are exposed, then it would be dangerous and harmful in public interest.

It also said “examining of the NSG is not required to prove any of the charges against the arrested — Ajmal Kasab, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, as the terrorists who had attacked the targets, Hotel Taj, Trident-Oberoi and Nariman House have already been killed in the encounter and sufficient evidence in the form of identification of bodies by eyewitnesses has been adduced against them.”

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