Mumbai: Ajmal Kasab's dramatic guilty plea, his seeking the death penalty neither will get him a quick trial. The case against him will go on.
So what is going on in Kasab's mind, what prompted him to not even consult his lawyer and admit his guilt at least partially? Is it a calculated plan by a trained terrorist or is it just the frustration of a 20-year-old tired of solitary confinement?
"If you doubt me, hang me," Ajmal Amir Kasab had pleaded before the court.
Is this an emotional meltdown? Or pure strategy by the 20-year-old terrorist to churn sympathy?
"Considering the person's age, his first encounter, his statements, I feel there's some emotional upheaval happening, a breakdown happening," said Dr Yusuf Matcheswalla, forensic psychiatrist, Government of Maharashtra.
Dr Yusuf Matcheswalla has dealt with many terror accused, starting with those who orchestrated the 1993 Bombay blasts
He says Kasab has been in solitary confinement for four months, humiliated by eyewitnesses of 26/11 in court and has also learnt that Pakistan has pronounced him an accused. He might be resigned but not repentant.
''We do not know about the repentance factor. If he is very strong on this, whatever they are indoctrinated for a jihadi, the reward is in the afterworld," Matcheswalla added.
Many believe, Kasab has been rigorously trained as a jihadi and playing mind games is part of the drill.
Even his body language that has gone from haughty to submissive during the trial is part of that playacting.
"Terrorist are trained to play mind games," said Dr Kersi Chavda, President, Bombay Psychiatrists Association.
Either way experts say it requires a close examination of Kasab over a period of time to understand what compelled him to become a hardline jihadi and what has now brought about a desire to cut this trial short.