Who will pay for protecting 26/11 terrorist and death row convict Ajmal Aamir Kasab in jail? Days after the Centre recommended death sentence for Kasab, confusion persists over who between the Union home ministry and the Maharashtra government should foot the nearly `27 crore bill raised by the ITBP to protect Kasab at Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail.
The lone surviving Pakistani gunman is the only convict in the country who is being guarded by nearly 250 ITBP commandos.
The MHA is keen to go by the “rulebook’’ despite the Maharashtra government mounting pressure pointing out that the 26/11 attacks were a “national’’ crime and asked the ministry to foot the bill.
The state authorities felt guarding Kasab is the joint responsibility of the state government as well as the Centre. The home ministry, however, is reluctant and is unlikely to waive off the amount for the state government. “It is a standard practice that the state government which requisitions a Central force meets the expenses,” an official said.
ITBP sources revealed the force is presently incurring an expenditure of `77 lakh per month to guard Kasab. However, four years hence, as the expenses continue to shoot up while Kasab remains in jail, the reluctance on both sides persists.
The ministry is now exploring the option of deducting the required amount from the central funds disbursed to Maharashtra government under various centrally-sponsored schemes like the Security Related Expen-diture scheme.
Playing down the matter, ITBP chief Ranjit Sinha said, “I will not say here is any controversy or dispute. Whatever amount was spent (to guard Kasab), the Maharashtra government is consulting it with the Central government...Both the governments are in consultation,” he told reporters.