The Supreme Court has asked the Delhi government to submit its response to a curative petition filed by Mohammad Arif, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist sentenced to death for his role in the 2000 Red Fort attack.
The matter was taken up by a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, along with Justices Sanjay Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan. The Bench issued notice to the government while considering Arif’s plea seeking reconsideration of the final judgment that upheld his capital punishment.
Arif, a Pakistani national and member of the banned terror outfit LeT, was convicted for participating in the armed attack on the Red Fort in December 2000. The assault targeted Army personnel of the 7 Rajputana Rifles and resulted in the death of three soldiers.
A trial court had awarded Arif the death penalty, which was later confirmed by the Delhi High Court in 2007. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence in 2011, holding that the crime fell within the “rarest of rare” category. His review petition was dismissed in 2022 after the Court concluded that aggravating factors outweighed mitigating circumstances.
Having exhausted all other legal remedies, Arif has now approached the apex court with a curative petition, which is the final judicial recourse available under Indian law. The Supreme Court’s decision to seek a response from the government indicates that the petition will be examined in accordance with established legal principles.
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