In a letter to his lawyer Abbas Kazmi, Kasab requested him to seek approval of the court for these articles and also permission to walk in the verandah outside his cell.

The letter, written in Urdu, was placed before the court by Kasab's lawyer.

When judge M L Tahaliyani asked Kasab which newspaper he wanted to read, he replied, "Urdu Times".

To a query by the judge, Kasab said in Pakistan he read Nawaye Waqt (Latest News).

In the letter, Kasab said, "Janab Abbas Kazmi Sahab, I need a few things urgently. These are Urdu Times newspaper, a perfume bottle and a toothpaste. Also please seek court's direction to police asking them to deposit the amount, seized from my possession, in my jail account.

In the letter Kasab pleaded, "Ho sake to hamein kuch der ghumne ke liye barrack ke saamne wale varandeh mein chhod diya jaye. Iske liye unko fikra karne ki zaroorat nahin." (If possible I should be allowed to walk in the verandah outside my cell. For this, the security personnel need not worry because the barrack is enclosed on all the four sides).

"Staying in one room, I am getting mentally sick. It should not happen that in future things may go out of control," Kasab said in the letter.

The judge told Kasab that he would look into his prayers and decide later.

Kasab could be 22 years: Forensic expert

A forensic expert told a special court that the age of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only surviving terrorist of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, could be 22 as his chest X-ray indicates developed growth.

The expert, Dr Sudhir Nanandkar, told the court that Kasab's chest X-ray shows a complete fusion of the clavicle (collar bone), indicating that he could be 22 years old.

Nanandkar, a witness in the sensational case who conducted the Ossification (bone) test on Kasab, said in medical jurisprudence the examination of clavicle fusion helped independently to determine the age of a person.

The court was examining Dr Nanandkar and two others as witness to determine the age of Kasab, which the accused claimed before the court was just 17.

On a plea from the prosecution, the judge M L Tahalyani had ordered an inquiry to determine whether the accused was a juvenile or not.

The testimony of the witness that Kasab's age was 22 supports the prosecution's case that he was not a juvenile. Two other witnesses --a doctor and the jail superintendent --deposed yesterday saying Kasab had told them he was 21.

During cross-examination by defense lawyer Abbas Kazmi, the witness said that while taking X-ray of Kasab in jail on April 27, there was malfunctioning of machine after the completion of the process. He also said that Kasab's signature was not obtained on the X-ray plates.