Delhi Court sentences Batla House encounter convict Ariz Khan to death

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav had earlier in the day reserved the order for 1600 hrs.

Calling the matter as "rarest of rare case", the court said there was "no manner of doubt" that Khan was responsible for the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.

Additional Public Prosecutor AT Ansari, appearing on behalf of the police, said the case attracted punitive action, which is capital punishment.

Thirty five-year-old Khan, an Indian Mujahideen operative, was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police in February 2018 after being on the run for 10 years. On March 8, Judge Sandeep Yadav had pronounced the judgement saying "it was duly proved that Ariz Khan along with his accomplices caused the murder of police official by a gunshot from a fire arm."

He was convicted under sections 302, 307, 333 and 353 (which deal with assault or grievous hurt to a public servant in the discharge of his duty), 186 (which has provisions of punishment for people who prevent a public servants from discharging their duties), 34 and 174A of the Indian penal Code (IPC) as well as Section 27 of the Arms Act (which provides for jail sentence to those who are found in possession of arms illegally).

The encounter had taken place between Delhi Police Special Cell and alleged terrorists at a flat (L-18) in south Delhi’s Batla House, on September 19, 2008, in which two suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists died.

The suspected IM operatives were said to have been involved in the serial bomb blasts that took place in Delhi six days before the encounter.