NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu has rejected the mercy petition filed by Pakistani terrorist and death row convict in the Dec 2000 Red Fort attack case Mohd Arif alias Ashfaq, almost 18 months after the Supreme Court dismissed his review petition.
Arif was part of the two-member, armed Lashkar-e-Taiba squad that stormed into the Red Fort premises housing a unit of 7th Rajputana Rifles on Dec 22, 2000, and opened fire at the jawans on duty, killing three of them.Though both the terrorists, following retaliatory fire by the personnel on duty, escaped by scaling Red Fort’s rear wall, they left behind enough clues — including firearms like AK rifles as well as an accidentally dropped paper slip with a phone number that ultimately led them to Arif’s house in Delhi’s Ghazipur area.
Arif was arrested three days after the attack. An investigation and trial ensued, ending in the trial court convicting him under IPC, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and Foreigners Act and awarding him death sentence. The death sentence was affirmed by Delhi High Court in 2007 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011. On Nov 3, 2022, a three-judge bench dismissed Arif’s review petition. He filed a mercy petition with the President on May 15, 2024 and the latter rejected it on May 27. This is the second mercy petition to be rejected by Murmu, the first being that of Vasanta Sampat Dupare who was awarded the death sentence for raping and murdering a minor girl.
Arif still has the option of moving the SC challenging the rejection of his mercy plea. A key change being made via the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) — which comes into force from July 1 — is that the President’s decision on a mercy plea shall be final and courts cannot question the grounds for such decision. However, this shall apply only prospectively.
A resident of Pakistan, Arif received training from LeT in the use of arms like AK-56 rifle and hand grenades. He illegally crossed over to India in 1999 along with arms and ammunition and stayed in Srinagar with other LeT terrorists. Tasked by LeT to unleash an attack at the iconic Red Fort, he collected money for the mission through hawala channels. He arranged cover for himself by marrying Delhi resident Rehmana Yusuf Farooqui, who was also convicted in the case. He forged documents including driving licence and ration card and was running a computer centre in Ghazipur.
Arif, after confessing his involvement in the Red Fort attack, had led Delhi Police to his second hideout in Batla House, Okhla, where an encounter broke out, leading to the death of his aide Abu Shamal alias Faizal. A search at the hideout led to the recovery of an AK-56 rifle and ammunition. Investigations into Arif’s money and bank dealings helped establish the terror funding trail.
This is the second mercy petition to be rejected by Murmu, the first being that of Vasanta Sampat Dupare who was awarded the death sentence for raping and murdering a minor girl
Arif was part of the two-member, armed Lashkar-e-Taiba squad that stormed into the Red Fort premises housing a unit of 7th Rajputana Rifles on Dec 22, 2000, and opened fire at the jawans on duty, killing three of them.Though both the terrorists, following retaliatory fire by the personnel on duty, escaped by scaling Red Fort’s rear wall, they left behind enough clues — including firearms like AK rifles as well as an accidentally dropped paper slip with a phone number that ultimately led them to Arif’s house in Delhi’s Ghazipur area.
Arif was arrested three days after the attack. An investigation and trial ensued, ending in the trial court convicting him under IPC, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and Foreigners Act and awarding him death sentence. The death sentence was affirmed by Delhi High Court in 2007 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011. On Nov 3, 2022, a three-judge bench dismissed Arif’s review petition. He filed a mercy petition with the President on May 15, 2024 and the latter rejected it on May 27. This is the second mercy petition to be rejected by Murmu, the first being that of Vasanta Sampat Dupare who was awarded the death sentence for raping and murdering a minor girl.
Arif still has the option of moving the SC challenging the rejection of his mercy plea. A key change being made via the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) — which comes into force from July 1 — is that the President’s decision on a mercy plea shall be final and courts cannot question the grounds for such decision. However, this shall apply only prospectively.
A resident of Pakistan, Arif received training from LeT in the use of arms like AK-56 rifle and hand grenades. He illegally crossed over to India in 1999 along with arms and ammunition and stayed in Srinagar with other LeT terrorists. Tasked by LeT to unleash an attack at the iconic Red Fort, he collected money for the mission through hawala channels. He arranged cover for himself by marrying Delhi resident Rehmana Yusuf Farooqui, who was also convicted in the case. He forged documents including driving licence and ration card and was running a computer centre in Ghazipur.
Arif, after confessing his involvement in the Red Fort attack, had led Delhi Police to his second hideout in Batla House, Okhla, where an encounter broke out, leading to the death of his aide Abu Shamal alias Faizal. A search at the hideout led to the recovery of an AK-56 rifle and ammunition. Investigations into Arif’s money and bank dealings helped establish the terror funding trail.
This is the second mercy petition to be rejected by Murmu, the first being that of Vasanta Sampat Dupare who was awarded the death sentence for raping and murdering a minor girl