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Seven convicted in Red Fort attack case

     New Delhi: In a judgement passed by a Delhi Court today, seven out of the eleven accused in the Red Fort attack case were convicted, while the remaining four were acquitted, 10 days after the court had closed its hearing in the matter. Lashkar-e-Toiba militant and Pakistani national Ashfaq Ahmed alias Arif and his wife were among the seven who were sentenced. Additional Sessions Judge O P Saini reserved his order after completion of final arguments by counsel for the prosecution and the 11 accused. According to the prosecution, two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants sneaked into the 17th century monument at around 9 p.m. on December 22, 2000, and opened indiscriminate fire on guards of the 7th Battalion of Rajputana Rifles stationed there, killing three persons.

     Police had chargesheeted 11 accused-- Ashfaq, his alleged Indian wife Rehmana Yousuf Farooqi, Nazir Ahmed Qasid, Farooq Ahmed Qasid, Sadaqat Ali, Shahanshah Alam, Babbar Mohsin Baghwala, Devender Singh, Rajiv Kumar Malhotra, Matloob Alam and Moolchand. During the defence arguments spanning three months, the accused claimed that the incident was the result of a gunfight between Army personnel camping inside the monument and that they were innocents arrested on basis of "planted recoveries". Arif, an alleged LeT militant was charged with waging war against the Government of India, criminal conspiracy, murder, cheating and forgery. His alleged Indian wife Rahmana is charged with conspiracy and harbouring him. The court framed charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery using as genuine a forged document and possessing a forged document against Moolchand Sharma, Rajiv Kumar Malhotra, Devender Singh, Matloob Alam and Shahanshah Alam.