New Delhi, September 13
The death sentence awarded to a Pakistani terrorist by a special court here for daring attack on the military establishment in the Red Fort seven years ago, was upheld by the Delhi High Court today, holding that he deserved no mercy for having no value for human life.

A Sessions Court had earlier awarded death sentence to Laskar-e-Toiba militant Mohammed Ashfaq, a Pakistani national for masterminding the attack on Red Fort on the night of December 22, 2000.

A Bench of Justices R.S. Sodhi and P.K. Bhasin, however, acquitted six co-accused, all Indian citizens who were awarded life sentences and Ashfaq’s Indian wife Rehmana given seven years jail term after finding the evidence against them insufficient.

The High Court said that death penalty was the only “appropriate” punishment to Ashfaq considering the heinous crime he had masterminded and it had no hesitation in confirming order of the trial court.

Two jawans and a civilian were killed in the attack in which the militant had used sophisticated weapons including an AK-47 rifle. Another militant believed to be involved in the attack, allegedly had managed to escape.

The High Court was of the view that if deterrent punishment like death sentence was not awarded for heinous crimes like terrorist attacks, that too on an important place like Red Fort, it would send wrong signals to the terrorists bent upon disturbing the national peace and harmony.

“This can definitely be said to be a case falling in the category of rarest of rare cases, where the extreme penalty of death would only serve the ends of justice,” the court said, rejecting Ashfaq’s appeal against the capital punishment.