New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday put a stay on the hanging of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba terrorist Mohammed Arif, alias Ashfaq, who was awarded the death sentence for waging war against the state in the
2000 Red Fort attack in which two Army jawans and a civilian were killed.
In his plea, Ashfaq has said that he has been behind bars for 13 years which is almost equivalent to life imprisonment and executing him now would amount to punishing him twice for the same offence.
A bench headed by Chief Justice R.M. Lodha referred his petition to the Constitution bench to decide whether a person can suffer two alternate sentences consecutively and whether higher punishment could be awarded.
The Supreme Court bench also sought the Centre’s response to the plea.
