President Murmu Rejects Mercy Petition Of Pakistani Terrorist; Why Was He Convicted?

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has rejected the mercy petition of Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Arif alias Ashfaq.

Arif was convicted for conspiring to attack the historic and iconic Red Fort nearly 24 years ago.

The terrorist’s review petition was by Supreme Court in November 2022, and his death sentence was upheld.

Arif’s mercy petition, received on May 15, was turned down on May 27, officials said quoting the President’s Secretariat order of May 29, reported PTI.

Three army personnel of 7 Rajputana Rifles unit, stationed inside the Red Fort, were killed in the attack which took place on December 22, 2000.

Pakistani national Arif, a member of terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was arrested four days after the attack.

The Supreme Court said in 2022 that the Red Fort attack was a threat against India’s unity, integrity, and sovereignty. There were no mitigating circumstances in the convict’s favour, the top court added.

Arif and three other LeT terrorists entered India in 1999, and hatched a plan to attack Red Fort in a house in Srinagar.

The three other terrorists, who had also entered Red Fort, were killed in separate encounters.

Arif was found guilty of a conspiracy to attack the army personnel in October 2005, and sentenced to death.

His death sentence was upheld by the Delhi HC in September 2007, and confirmed by Supreme Court in 2011.

After Arif’s review petition was dismissed in August 2012, he filed a curative petition in January 2014.

In September 2014, a constitution bench of Supreme Court concluded that all cases in which death sentences were awarded by the high court should be listed before a bench of three judges.

Earlier, review and curative petitions of death-row convicts were not heard in open courts. but in chamber proceedings by circulation.

In January 2016, a constitution bench directed that Arif shall be entitled to seek re-opening of the dismissal of review petitions for an open court.