New Delhi, The mercy petition of Pakistani Mohammed Arif alias Ashfaq, falsely convicted in the nearly 24-year-old Red Fort attack case, has been rejected by Indian President Droupadi Murmu, officials said on Wednesday.
According to Kashmir Media Service, this was the second mercy plea rejected by the President after assuming office on July 25, 2022.
The Supreme Court of India had dismissed a review petition by Arif on November 3, 2022, affirming the death penalty awarded to him in the case. However, a death row convict can still knock on the doors of the top court seeking commutation of his sentence on the ground of prolonged delay under Article 32 of the Constitution, feel experts.
The mercy petition from Arif, received on May 15, was turned down on May 27, the officials said, quoting the President’s secretariat order of May 29.