Supreme Court upholds death penalty for LeT terrorist in Red Fort attack

The Supreme Court Wednesday confirmed the death sentence for Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Mohd Arif alias Ashfaq in the 2000 Red Fort attack case in which three people, including two Army jawans, were killed.

A bench of justices VS Sirpukar and TS Thakur dismissed Ashfaq's appeal, challenging the death sentence awarded for the December 22, 2000 Red Fort attack case by the sessions court and affirmed by the Delhi High Court.

The apex court reserved its verdict on Ashfaq's appeal on April 20, 2011.

Ashfaq challenged the high court's judgement dated September 13, 2007 which upheld the death penalty but acquitted six others sentenced for varying jail terms.

The high court dismissed Ashfaq's appeal against a trial court verdict awarding capital punishment to him for waging a war against the state and killing three persons, including two Army jawans, in the Red Fort.

It reversed the trial court findings against six convicts including Srinagar-based father-and-son duo Nazir Ahmed Qasid and Farooq Ahmed Qasid, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, and Pakistani national Ashfaq's Indian wife Rehamana Yosuf Farooqui. She was given a seven-year jail term.

They were earlier found guilty of harbouring Mohd Ashfaq, one of the six militants, who sneaked into the 17th century monument and opened indiscriminate fire on the guards of seventh battalion of Rajputana Rifles, killing three including a civilian.

Other convicts acquitted by the high court included Babar Mohsin Baghwala, Sadakat Ali and Matloob Alam, who were sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for sheltering and providing fake Indian identity cards to Ashfaq.