PIL In Delhi HC Seeks Removal Of Graves Of Afzal Guru, Maqbool Bhatt From Tihar

A PIL has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking the removal of the graves of terrorists Mohammad Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhatt, who were awarded the death penalty and executed in the Tihar jail premises. The plea asks for a directive to relocate their mortal remains in accordance with law so as to prevent “glorification of terrorism” and misuse of the jail premises.

The plea filed by the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh argued that the construction and continued presence of graves within a state-controlled prison is “illegal, unconstitutional, and contrary to public interest.”

It further alleged that the existence of these graves has effectively transformed Tihar Central Jail into a site of "radical pilgrimage," attracting extremist elements who gather there to venerate convicted terrorists.

“This not only undermines national security and public order, but also sanctifies terrorism in direct contravention of the principles of secularism and rule of law under the Constitution of India,” it said.

“It violates the express provisions of the Delhi Prisons Rules, 2018, which mandate the disposal of the bodies of executed prisoners in a manner that prevents glorification, ensures prison discipline, and maintains public order”, it added.

Citing the provision, the plea, “therefore, seeks the urgent intervention of this court to direct the respondents to remove the said graves from Tihar Jail and ensure their relocation in a secure, undisclosed manner, in line with established state practice in the cases of executed terrorists such as Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon, where every precaution was taken to prevent glorification."

The plea, filed by advocate Barun Kumar Sinha highlighted that both Bhatt and Guru, driven by “extremist Jihadist ideology”, orchestrated and executed acts of terrorism that gravely threatened the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India.

The petitioners also claimed that the presence of the graves within jail premises poses a serious risk of contagious and dangerous diseases to both the inmates and the employees of Tihar Jail.

With PTI inputs