2008 Batla House encounter case: Court awards death penalty to Ariz Khan

A Delhi court said the case is 'rarest of rare case'

While calling it a 'rarest of rare case', a Delhi court on Monday awarded death penalty to convict Ariz Khan for murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in 2008 Batla House encounter case. Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav also imposed a total fine of Rs 11 lakh against Ariz in the case. The court said Rs 10 lakh should be immediately released to the family members of Sharma.

Earlier on Monday, the Delhi Police urged the court to award the death penalty to convict Khan.

Representing the Delhi Police, Senior Public Prosecutor AT Ansari told Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav that this is a gruesome murder of a law enforcement officer and defender of justice while discharging his duty and therefore a serious exercise is required to be undertaken in this case for determining the quantum of sentence.

Ansari further said that exemplary punishment in the case is required and urged the Delhi Court to award a death sentence to convict Ariz Khan.

The prosecutor told the court that despite his involvement in several blast cases in Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Uttar Pradesh in which several innocent citizens of this country were killed, the convict continued to murder a police officer.

"There is a complete lack of remorse on the part of the convict which completely rules out any kind of possibility of reformation and correction of the convict. This is again one of the aggravating circumstances against the convict calling for a death penalty and forecloses the option of lesser punishment," the prosecutor said.

He further added that a test of the collective conscience of society being shocked after the present incident created serious widespread concern with regard to the morale of the police force, their safety, and security. The present incident also instilled fear in the mind of the common man that when a police officer on lawful duty is not safe what would happen to them, the prosecutor said.

However, the defence counsel of the convict, Advocate MS Khan, sought leniency on the ground of his young age and parity with other convict convicted in the matter earlier.

Police had earlier claimed that Ariz Khan was present at Batla House, along with four others, and had managed to give police the slip during the encounter on September 19, 2008, in Delhi's Jamia Nagar, in which two Indian Mujahideen terrorists were killed and as many arrested.

Two suspected terrorists, Atif Ameen and Mohammad Sajid were killed while two other suspects -- Mohammad Saif and Zeeshan were arrested earlier.

The incident took place a week after five serial blasts had hit Delhi on 13 September 2008 in which at least 30 people were killed and over 100 injured.

Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma of Special Cell was martyred during the 2008 Batla House encounter.

A trial court in July 2013 had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the Batla House encounter case. His appeal against the trial court's verdict has been pending in the High Court.