Death Penalty to 3 in Indian Parliament Attack Case

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 18, 2002

Death Penalty to 3 in Indian Parliament Attack Case

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In the first such instance under the anti-terrorist act, a Special Court in Delhi Wednesday sentenced to death three men convicted in the last December's Parliament attack case for waging war against the country.

Special Judge S N Dhingra awarded capital punishment to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists Mohd Afzal and Shaukat Hussain Guru and a lecturer of Delhi University S A R Geelani.

The fourth convict -- Shaukat's wife Navjot Sandhu alias Afsan Guru, found guilty of concealing the plot, was sentenced to five year rigorous imprisonment.

She was also fined 10,000 rupees (208 US dollars) and was ordered to undergo additional imprisonment of six months if she failed to deposit the fine amount.

The court Monday held Afzal, Shaukat and Geelani guilty of waging war against India in conspiracy with the five slain Pakistani terrorists and JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, the outfit's chief commander in Jammu and Kashmir Ghazi Baba alias AbuJehadi and one Tariq Ahemd for the attack on Parliament on December 13 last year by a suicide squad of militants.

Afshan Guru was held guilty of not disclosing the plot despite having knowledge of the same.

Azhar, who was released recently in Pakistan, has been declared a proclaimed offender by the court, along with Baba and Tariq.

The death sentences would now be referred to a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court for confirmation.

The three main convicts were held guilty of waging war against India in conspiracy with the Pakistani militants and attempting to assassinate the Prime Minister, Home Minister and other VIPS and attacking Parliament when it was in session with a view to take the VIPs hostage.

While Afzal, Shaukat and Geelani were convicted under various provisions of the anti-terrorist act, Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Explosives Substances Act, Afsan Guru was convicted only under IPC for not disclosing the plot despite having knowledge of the motives of her associates.

Afzal, Shaukat and Geelani were sentenced to death under section 302 of IPC (murder) and slapped a fine of 500,000 rupees (10,417 dollars) each which the trial court directed to be given to the families of those killed in the attack.

In the attack last year on Parliament, nine security personnel were killed and 16 others were injured.

The trio was also sentenced to death under the anti-terrorist act and imposed a fine of 50,000 rupees (1,042 dollars) each.

This money would also be distributed among the families of those killed and injured in the attack, the Court said.

In addition to the death penalty, the trial court awarded them 10-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 rupees (208 dollars) each under section 307 of IPC (attempt to murder).

In default of payment of the fine, they will have to undergo further rigorous imprisonment for a year, it said.

India accused Pakistan's intelligence agency and militants in Pakistan of orchestrating the Parliament attack and sent hundreds of thousands of troops to its border with Pakistan in a standoff that lasted nearly 10 months.

Islamabad has denied any involvement. Intense diplomatic pressure defused tensions between the two south Asian rivals and averted the threat of war earlier this year.

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