The petition of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq seeking a review of the top court’s earlier order has been dismissed by the Supreme Court. The court ordered to uphold the death sentence awarded to him in connection with the 2000 Red Fort attack case.
Mohammad Arif was sentenced to death by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India UU Lalit and Bela M Trivedi, who noted that his guilt had been established. The prosecution claims that on December 22, 2000, at around 9 o’clock, terrorists from the outlawed militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba entered the Lal Quila and began firing indiscriminately, killing three Army personnel from the 7 Rajputana Rifles.
The invaders successfully made their getaway by scaling the Lal Quila’s rear side boundary wall in the direction of the Ring Road side after the Quick Army Reaction Team members returned fire.
On October 31, 2005, the trial court found seven defendants guilty, including Arif, and sentenced him to death. The Delhi High Court and later the Supreme Court both upheld the death penalty.
Arif filed a review appeal in opposition to the ruling by the Supreme Court maintaining his death sentence in the case.
“It was an attack on Mother India. This is apart from the fact that as many as three persons had lost their lives. The conspirators had no place in India. Appellant was a foreign national and had entered India without any authorization or even justification. This is apart from the fact that the appellant built up a conspiracy by practicing deceit and committing various other offences in furtherance of the conspiracy to wage war against India as also to commit murders by launching an unprovoked attack on the soldiers of Indian Army,”the apex court said while upholding the death sentence.
