Court Allows Batla House Encounter Convict To Attend Sister's Wedding

The Delhi High Court has granted one-day parole to a suspected Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, serving life term for killing a police officer in the Batla House encounter, to attend his sister's wedding in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, but directed that he will go there in police custody.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Vinod Goel said the convict, Shahzad Ahmad, shall be taken on Saturday in "proper police escort" to attend the marriage of his sister.

The court also said that, if required, the in-charge of the escorting police party can keep the convict overnight in a lock-up at the local police station during the course of the journey.

The bench, in its order of February 5, also said that expenses of the journey, including his and the police party's train tickets, shall be initially borne by the jail authorities and would be reimbursed by the petitioner before the next date of hearing in the trial court on February 16.

Delhi government additional standing counsel (criminal) Rajesh Mahajan, during the hearing, opposed the grant of parole, saying that five criminal cases are registered against Ahmad in respect of the 2008 serial blasts in various parts of Delhi which had resulted in the death of 26 persons and injured 135 others.

The lawyer said that Ahmad was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killing of Inspector M C Sharma in the Batla House encounter of 2008.

Mr Mahajan also said if parole was to be granted to the petitioner then he should be sent in police custody as was done in 2017 when the trial court had allowed him to attend the wedding of his other sister, but under a police escort.

The high court's order came on Ahmad's plea seeking parole for a week to attend his sister's wedding scheduled to be held on February 9 evening.

The trial court had in 2013 convicted Ahmad for murder, attempt to murder, obstructing and assaulting public servants and grievously injuring the police officers to deter them from performing their duty.

The encounter had taken place at flat no. L-18, Batla House in Jamia Nagar locality of South Delhi on September 19, 2008, six days after serial bomb blasts rocked the national capital.

According to the police, Ahmad had fled the scene after firing at the officers who had raided the flat.