New York, Jan.28 (ANI): A day after Dr. Aafia Siddiui's counsel pleaded before the Manhattan court to bar her from taking her own stand in the court, US federal agents have said that Siddiqui is in perfect mental health to represent her case in the court of law.
Siddiqui's lawyer had asked the Manhattan federal court judge to bar their client from taking the stand in her own defence.
However, the federal agents have objected to the move, saying Siddiqui has a fundamental constitutional right to testify.
They also claimed that there is absolutely no basis to preclude her from taking the stand in her own defence.
Manhattan federal Judge Richard Berman said he will consider the arguments from prosecutors before deciding on whether Siddiqui can testify or not, The New York Post reports.
Earlier, the defence counsels had sent a letter to Judge Berman requesting him not to let Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist charged for firing at American investigators in Afghanistan, to testify on her own because of her "severe mental illness".
"The defendant refused to speak with us and runs the risk of prejudicing herself in the eyes of the jurors if she takes the stand. We feel it is our duty under relevant ethical rules to take protective action to safeguard her interests," the letter stated. (ANI)
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