Wednesday, August 10, 2011

SC rules death for LET terrorist in Red Fort attack

The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed the death sentence of arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Mohammad Arif for masterminding and carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack.

A trial court in November 2005 had awarded Arif, alias Ashfaq, the death sentence. Additional Sessions Judge O P Saini had also fined Arif Rs 4.35 lakh for the attack that had left two Rajputana Rifles jawans and a civilian dead.

On December 22, militants had stormed the Red Fort and opened fire on an Army camp inside. The Delhi High Court in 2007 had upheld the trial court's death sentence to Arif.

The high court had also 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 Arif's Indian wife Rehamana Yosuf Farooqui. She was given a seven-year jail term. The Supreme Court on Wednesday confirmed the death sentence of arrested Lashkar-e-Toiba militant Mohammad Arif for masterminding and carrying out the December 2000 Red Fort attack.

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

Trial court judge Saini had handed down the judgement to Arif under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for waging war against India.

Arif’s wife Farooqi was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment for sheltering her husband “before and after the incident”.

No comments:

Post a Comment