Archive · 23 Jan 2026
SC Hears LeT Terrorist's Curative Plea in 2000 Red Fort Attack
A man named Mohammad Arif, who is part of a terrorist group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, was sentenced to death for a terror attack at the Red Fort in Delhi in 2000.
He killed three Indian Army soldiers during the attack.
The courts have already decided he should be punished with death, but now he has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider his case.
The Supreme Court has agreed to look at his request.
This is a very special kind of request called a curative petition, which is only used in rare cases where there might have been a big mistake in the earlier decisions.
The Supreme Court will now decide if they should change his punishment or not.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the curative plea of Mohammad Arif, a LeT operative, against the death penalty for the 2000 Red Fort attack.
Arif's curative petition is his last legal recourse after his appeal and review petition were dismissed.
The attack on December 22, 2000, resulted in the deaths of three Indian Army soldiers.
Arif's death sentence was upheld by the trial court in October 2005, the Delhi High Court in September 2007, and the Supreme Court in August 2011.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Delhi government on January 22, 2023, regarding Arif's curative petition.
- Who
- Mohammad Arif, a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative
- What
- Curative petition against death penalty for 2000 Red Fort attack
- When
- Curative petition heard on January 22, 2023; review plea dismissed on November 3, 2022
- Where
- Supreme Court of India, New Delhi
- Why
- To prevent miscarriage of justice and consider new legal arguments
- Terrorist Name
- Mohammad Arif (also known as Ashfaq)
- Organization
- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
- Attack Date
- December 22, 2000
- Location
- Red Fort, Delhi
- Victims
- Three Indian Army soldiers
- Initial Sentence
- Death penalty awarded in October 2005
- High Court Decision
- Death sentence upheld in September 2007
- Supreme Court Decision
- Death sentence affirmed in August 2011
- Review Plea Dismissed
- November 3, 2022
- Curative Plea Heard
- January 22, 2023
- Bench Composition
- Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Vikram Nath, and JK Maheshwari
Sources
2000 Red Fort attack: SC issues notice to Delhi govt on LeT terrorist Mohammad Arif’s plea against death penalty
SC issues notice to Delhi govt on plea of LeT terrorist against death penalty in Red Fort case
SC Issues Notice to Delhi Govt on Plea of LeT Terrorist against Death Penalty in Red Fort Case
2000 Red Fort terror attack: SC seeks Delhi govt’s response on curative plea of LeT terrorist Mohd Arif
