Delhi’s legal corridors are abuzz once more with the Red Fort terror case, as the Supreme Court directs Delhi Police to respond to convict Mohammad Arif (Ashfaq)’s curative petition. Previously dismissed appeals notwithstanding, a fresh apex court verdict has paved the way for this hearing.
Identified as a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist and Pakistani citizen, Ashfaq’s 2011 death sentence followed failed review petitions and presidential clemency bids.
Recalling the horror: On December 22, 2000, six LeT militants breached Red Fort security, killing three—a guard, soldiers Uma Shankar and Ashok Kumar from Rajputana Rifles, and local resident Abdullah Thakur—in a hail of bullets.
Arrested on December 26 from Jamia Nagar with wife Rehmana, the case snowballed into a 21-accused chargesheet in 2001. Eight fugitives, three encounter deaths later, the court convicted seven in 2005: Ashfaq to hang, Rehmana seven years, Nazir and Farooq Kasid life imprisonment, others seven years.
This resurgence in the courts raises questions on balancing terror accountability with procedural justice. Stakeholders await Delhi Police’s reply, as the nation reflects on vulnerabilities exposed two decades ago.