Editor
The Delhi’s Tihar prison authorities have written to Tis Hazari court to finalise the death penalty date for Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, months after the Supreme Court rejected his review petition against the death sentence awarded to him in 2000 Red Fort attack case.
New Delhi, Feb 20,2023: The Delhi’s Tihar prison authorities have written to Tis Hazari court to finalise the death penalty date for Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, months after the Supreme Court rejected his review petition against the death sentence awarded to him in 2000 Red Fort attack case.
The letter was sent by the prison authorities to the court of ASJ O.P. Saini on February 3.
Sources said that Arif’s options for mercy petition before the President and Supreme Court are over.
Two Army jawans and a civilian lost their lives in the Red Fort attack on December 22, 2000. Arif was arrested three days after the attack. He was traced using call records and the assault weapons used in the attack.
Last year on November 3, the Apex Court, while rejecting Arif’s review petition, said there was nothing on record which can be taken to be a mitigating circumstance in Arif’s favour.
“The fact that there was a direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India completely outweighs the factors which may even remotely be brought into consideration as mitigating circumstances,” the SC said.
On April 28, 2014 the SC stayed Arif’s execution in the case. It had, on August 10, 2011, upheld his death sentence and dismissed his appeal challenging the capital punishment awarded to him by a sessions court and confirmed by Delhi High Court.
In 2016, the SC decided to re-hear his review petition.
