In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has commuted the death penalty of Ariz Khan to a life sentence. This decision stems from Khan's involvement in the 2008 Batla House encounter, a case that gripped the nation's attention. This encounter tragically led to the loss of decorated Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma's life.
A panel of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Amit Sharma upheld the trial court's ruling, convicting Khan of the murder of the police official but opted not to confirm the capital punishment. The full details of the court's order are yet to be released.
This decision follows months of deliberation, with the bench reserving its judgment on the issue back in August. The lawyers representing Khan and the State had presented their arguments before the court, PTI reported.
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The 2008 Batla House encounter occurred on September 19, 2008, in south Delhi's Jamia Nagar. It transpired just days after a series of synchronized bomb explosions shook the national capital, resulting in the tragic loss of 39 lives and injuring 159 others. Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, an officer of the Delhi Police's Special Cell, led the operation to apprehend the individuals responsible for the bombings.
The trial court, in its ruling on March 8, 2021, found Khan and his associates guilty of the murder of Inspector Sharma and convicted Khan. It categorized the offense as "rarest of the rare," initially sentencing him to death by hanging and imposing a substantial fine of Rs 11 lakh. Importantly, the court directed that Rs 10 lakh be immediately provided to Inspector Sharma's family.
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Following this judgment, the high court received a reference regarding the confirmation of Khan's death sentence. It's worth noting that when a trial court pronounces the death penalty, the high court must review and confirm the decision before any execution takes place.
