Batla House encounter convict Ariz Khan moves Delhi HC challenging his death sentence
Khan has filed an appeal against the trial court verdict which said the offence fell under the “rarest of the rare category” warranting the maximum sentence and Ariz be “hanged by neck” till death.
FollowAriz Khan, who earlier this year, was convicted by a trial court over the killing of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma during the 2008 Batla House encounter, has challenged his conviction in the Delhi High Court, as well as the death sentence handed to him for Sharma's killing.
Khan has filed an appeal against the trial court verdict which said the offence fell under the “rarest of the rare category” warranting the maximum sentence and Ariz be “hanged by neck” till death.
Inspector Sharma, belonging to the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, was killed in action on September 19, 2008, in south Delhi's Jamia Nagar during the encounter, which took place six days after serial blasts ripped through the national capital killing at least 30 people and leaving more than 100 injured. Acting on a tip-off, the police team, which included Sharma, had raided a flat in the Batla House locality.
In the encounter - two Batla House occupants were killed - Mohammad Sajid and Atif Amin, while Shahzad and Junaid (a.k.a) escaped and Mohammad Saif was arrested. Moreover, Encounter specialist Mohan Chand Sharma was martyred and head constables Balwinder and Rajbir Singh were injured. Police claim that Junaid (Ariz Khan) was present at Batla House, along with four others, but managed to escape.
Khan, 35, who fled after the encounter, was pronounced as a proclaimed offender (PO) in 2009, and was arrested on February 14, 2018. He was convicted by the trial court on March 8 this year and sentenced to death on March 15. Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Rs 11 lakh on Khan, directing him to "immediately" release Rs 10 lakh for the deceased officer's family. Calling his offence "despicable," the court observed that the convict "has forfeited his right to live." It also called him an "enemy of the state."
Shahzad Ahmed, another convict in this case, was arrested on January 1, 2010. In July 2013, Ahmed was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment and appealed against the verdict in the High Court. The appeal, however, is still pending in the court.
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