Explained: How Kasab's execution was planned
Here's a look at the process that the government followed in the Ajmal Kasab's hanging, which was kept under wraps.
The process to hang Kasab began in the first week of November with only four cabinet ministers, the chief minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan and a few officials in the loop.
While Pranab Mukherjee rejected the mercy petition on November 8, informal discussions had already been held before that in anticipation of the President rejecting Kasab's mercy petition.
A major calculation was needed to prevent an IC 814 kind of situation where the government would face hostage situation to bargain for Kasab.
The Director of Information and Broadcasting, Nehchal Sandhu, was a key official who coordinated between the Centre and state government officials to hang Kasab.
A suggestion was made about burying Kasab at sea like Osama Bin Laden, but was finally rejected in favour of Yerwada Jail.
A special inspector general of police in Maharashtra and 16 handpicked men oversaw Operation X leading to the death by hanging of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab Wednesday. The chosen team's mission was to hang and bury the 25-year-old Kasab in complete secrecy in Pune's Yerawada Central Jail, where he would be moved from Mumbai.
Once Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde signed the file from the president's office on Nov 7 and sent it to the Maharashtra government the next day, the police team took charge.
Only a handful knew that Kasab would hang on Novemeber 21 morning.
These included Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh, earlier the Pune police chief, and Meeran Borwankar, who heads the Yerawada jail, and those at the helm in the state intelligence department and Mumbai CID.
Pune's proximity to Mumbai played a role. An expert hangman was summoned.
He was taken on a special flight late at night to reach Pune early Nov 19 and whisked off to the Yerawada jail.
As Home Minister RR Patil put it, after completing all legal niceties, Kasab was executed at 7.30 am on Wednesday.
Just 15 minutes later, the Operation X chief conveyed to the state home department that the task was "successfully completed".
Explained: How Kasab's execution was planned - India - DNA