The convicts, Saleem and Shabnam, were in love and wanted to marry
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi: The Supreme Court which on May 15 had slapped death sentence on a woman and her paramour found guilty for killing a family of seven, on Monday stayed their execution pursuant to warrants issued on May 21 for hanging them.
A vacation Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and U.U. Lalit stayed the execution of the ‘death warrants’, after hearing senior counsel Anand Grover and Raju Ramachandran, appearing for the two death-row convicts Shabnam and Saleem.
The convicts — Saleem and Shabnam — were in love and wanted to marry. But Shabnam’s family was opposed to it. The duo drugged the entire family and then hacked them to death on April 15, 2008 in Almora district in UP. Those killed were Shaukat Ali, 60, his wife Hashmi, 55, their son Anees Ahmed Khan, 35, his wife Anjum, 25, brother Rashid, 22, niece Rabia, 14, and Anees’s son Arsh, 10 months.
While six of them were hacked to death, Arsh was throttled. Both were convicted and awarded death sentence by a trial court on July 15, 2010. The Allahabad High court in April 2013 confirmed the death and the couple appealed to the Supreme Court which on May 15 affirmed the High Court order.
According to the petitioners though the apex court confirmed the death sentence, the trial judge, without giving them an opportunity to file review petition, fixed their execution and necessary warrants were issued for carrying out the execution.
They said the warrants, however, did not mention the date. They contended that issue of death warrants without mentioning any date and place was a violation of the guidelines issued by the Allahabad HC. Contending that irreparable damage would be caused if their execution was not stayed they prayed for an interim stay.
( Source : dc )
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