Mohammed Arif Sentenced to Death for Red Fort Attack: Droupadi Murmu Rejects Plea

Mohammed Arif's Involvement in the Red Fort Attack

Mohammed Arif, also known as Ashfaq, is a Pakistani terrorist and member of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Twenty-four years ago, he attacked Delhi’s Red Fort and was convicted of conspiracy to commit the attack.

Details of the Red Fort Attack

The attack on the Red Fort took place on December 22, 2000, during which three soldiers from the 7 Rajputana Rifles unit stationed inside the Red Fort were killed. Arif, also known as Ashfaq, a Pakistani national and member of the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was arrested four days after the attack. Arif, along with three other terrorists—Abu Shad, Abu Bilal, and Abu Haider—entered India in 1999 and planned the attack while residing in a house in Srinagar.

Legal Proceedings and Sentencing

The other three terrorists were killed in separate encounters, while Ashfaq was among the first found guilty in October 2005. He was sentenced to death, and the Delhi High Court upheld his death sentence in September 2007, reaffirming it in 2011. In August 2012, his review petition was dismissed, prompting him to file another petition in January 2014. A constitution bench of the apex court, in its September 2014 judgment, concluded that all cases where a death sentence was awarded by the High Court should be reviewed by a bench of three judges. In January 2016, the constitution bench directed that Arif be entitled to seek the reopening of the dismissed review petitions for an open court hearing within one month.

Supreme Court's Decision on the Red Fort Attack Case

In November 2022, the Honourable Supreme Court of India dismissed the review petition, upholding the death sentence for the Red Fort attack by Mohammed Arif. The Supreme Court's orders emphasized that such attacks on the Red Fort pose a threat to India’s unity and integrity, and noted that there were no grounds to favour Ashfaq in their decision.

Rejection of Mercy Plea by the Droupadi Murmu, President of India

Subsequently, the Honourable President of India, Droupadi Murmu, rejected Ashfaq's mercy plea for his actions. According to officials, Ashfaq's mercy petition was turned down on May 27th, after being received on May 15th.