Batla House Encounter: Convict Ariz Khan moves Delhi HC challenging his death penalty

On Sunday, Batla House Encounter convict Ariz Khan moved the Delhi High Court challenging the death penalty awarded to him in the case by a Saket court. Khan - an alleged Indian Mujahideen terrorist - had been convicted of killing Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma and injuring Head Constables Balwant Singh and Rajbir Singh on March 13. Later, he was sentenced to death penalty and slapped with a fine of Rs 10 lakhs to be given to deceased Inspector Sharma's family.

Batla House encounter convict challenges death penalty

Ariz Khan has been charged under IPC sections 186 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant), 333 (causes grievous hurt to public servant), 353 (uses criminal force on public servant), 302 (murder), 307 (intention to murder), 174A (non-appearance in court) and 34 of IPC and 27 of arms act (use of contravention). As per reports, Khan had been arrested by Delhi Police's Special Cell in February 2018 from Nepal - a decade after he fled the encounter site in Delhi. In July 2013, a trial court had sentenced Indian Mujahideen terrorist Shahzad Ahmed to life imprisonment in connection with the case. His appeal against the trial court’s verdict has been pending in the high court, as per reports. 

What is the Batla House encounter?

 On 13 September 2008, five serial bomb blasts had rocked the national capital killing 30 and injuring 90, with similar blasts occurring in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Bangalore. Indian Mujahideen had reportedly taken responsibility for the blast, ten minutes after the first bomb blast in Delhi's Ghaffar Market, as per reports. A week later, Delhi police received intelligence from Gujarat police regarding the location of Mujahideen operatives in Delhi, which led to an armed raid at Batla House on 19 September 2008.

As per reports, the Delhi Police Special Cell team reached Delhi's Batla House in Jamia Nagar and surrounded the location. The police planned to send its lead officer Mohan Chand Sharma to extract details of the residents posing as a telecom consultant, as his team would secure the sole entry/exit gate and the back lane of the house, state reports. But, when Sharma approached the flat, bereft of his bullet-proof vest, a 20-minute encounter followed with several rounds being fired from both sides.

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.