New Delhi: In the Batla House encounter case, the Saket court has sentenced accused Ariz Khan to death. The court considered it as the rarest of the rare case. Earlier in 2013, Shahzad Ahmed was sentenced to life imprisonment. Both fled between the Batla House encounter. Two of his companions Atif Amen and Mohammad Sajid were killed, while one of the accused was arrested from the spot. Significantly, in this encounter, Delhi Police Inspector Mohanchand Sharma was martyred while two policemen were injured.
Last week, the alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist was held guilty of Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma’s death.
Police had sought the death penalty for Khan, saying it was not just any killing but a murder of a law enforcement officer who was a defender of justice. Additional Public Prosecutor A T Ansari, appearing for the police, had said the case attracts exemplary punishment, which is capital punishment.
The court had said on March 8 that it was “duly proved that Ariz Khan and his associates caused murder of police official and fired gunshot on the police official”.
Inspector Sharma of the police’s special cell was killed during the 2008 Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi.
A trial court had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed in July 2013 to life imprisonment in connection with the case. His appeal against the verdict has been pending in the high court.
Ariz Khan had fled from the spot and was declared proclaimed offender. He was arrested on February 14, 2018, and faced the trial.
