NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to Delhi-NCT, and sought its response, after hearing a curative plea filed by the convicted LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) terrorist Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, challenging the dismissal of his plea seeking review of the death penalty awarded in the 2000 Red Fort attack case that killed three Army jawans.
A three-judge Bench of the apex court, headed by the Chief Justice Surya Kant, and also comprising Justices Vikram Nath and J.K. Maheshwari, issued notice and sought the detailed responses from Delhi-NCT.
“Issue notice," the top court asserted.
Earlier on November 2022, the apex court's three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit (now retired) in its judgment -- while dismissing the review petition of Ashfaq -- called the terrorist incident as a “direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India”. The top court also for the second time had earlier rejected his review plea and once a curative one too.
After being unsuccessful, he moved the SC, by filing another curative one and sought leniency.
Ashfaq was found guilty of involvement in the 2000 attack on the 17th Century monument, Red Fort, by the trial court which sentenced him to death. The Delhi High Court in 2007 and the Supreme Court had in 2011, also upheld his death penalty in the case.