MUMBAI: A Pakistani man on trial in India over the 2008 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai was branded a “conniving, depraved murderer” by the prosecution during final arguments on Tuesday.

Lawyer Ujjwal Nikam said the case against Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was overwhelming, as was “voluminous” evidence of Pakistani involvement.

Kasab stands accused of being one of 10 militants who launched an assault against multiple targets in India's financial capital 14 months ago.

The sole surviving gunman, he faces a string of charges, including waging war against India, murder and attempted murder.

If convicted, he could face the death penalty.

Nikam told a special prison court in the city that the 21-year-old had deliberately tried to avoid responsibility by first denying his role in the attacks, before pleading guilty then saying he was pressured into an admission.

“This lying, conniving, depraved murderer has the moral turpitude to play with the honourable court and try to make a mockery of the Indian judicial system,” the lawyer said.

“He has done this deliberately to try to mislead the court,” he added. “He did it because it's part of his training... but we have produced and adduced such a volume of evidence that all his attempts have been foiled.”

Nikam told the court, which included the chief minister of Maharashtra state, Ashok Chavan, that evidence of Pakistani involvement was “voluminous”.

A Pakistani army major-general helped equip and train the attackers at LeT camps, while individuals in the military had accessed email and Internet telephone accounts used by the militants, the lawyer said.

The gunmen and their handlers had been keen to conceal their true nationality, the court heard.

“It's very evident that the terror attack... was carried out under the supervision and control of personnel connected with the security apparatus of Pakistan,” Nikam said.

“There's ample evidence on the record to show that the attack was hatched in Pakistan by people who didn't want the name of Pakistan to come to the surface.”

The case, which began last April and has heard live evidence from nearly 300 people, was adjourned until Wednesday.