NEW DEHLI: India's Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed the death sentence handed down to Mohammed Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks in which 166 people were killed.



Mohammed Kasab had launched his appeal claiming he had not been given a fair trial.



He was found guilty of charges including waging war against India, murder and terrorist acts, and was given the death penalty in May 2010.



Two Supreme Court judges in New Delhi have heard the appeal of Kasab, who is currently held in a maximum-security prison in Mumbai.



After losing this appeal, Kasab can lodge a final appeal for clemency with the president.



During the November 2008 attacks, heavily armed gunmen stormed targets in Mumbai including luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a hospital and a bustling train station.



India blames the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit for training, equipping and financing the gunmen with support from "elements" in the Pakistan military.



Kasab initially pleaded not guilty but later confessed, admitting he was one of the gunmen sent by the LeT.



"I was denied a fair trial," Kasab said in a statement when his appeal hearing began in January. "I may be guilty of killing people and carrying out a terrorist act but I am not guilty of waging war against the state."



In 2009, Pakistan charged seven alleged perpetrators behind the attacks but insists it needs more evidence.



The Mumbai attacks horrified India as each development unfolded live on television, and there have been widespread public calls for Kasab's execution.



At the trial, the prosecution produced fingerprint, DNA, eyewitness and TV footage evidence showing Kasab opening fire and throwing grenades at Mumbai's main railway station in the bloodiest episode of the attacks.



Most death sentences in India are commuted to life imprisonment, but convicts can sit on death row for years awaiting a final decision.



______________________________________________



[poll id="862"]