In a significant development in the 2008 Batla House encounter case, the Delhi High Court has commuted the death penalty of convict Ariz Khan to life imprisonment. Khan was initially sentenced to death by a trial court for his involvement in the murder of Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma during the controversial 2008 encounter.
Encounter created immense debate
The Batla House encounter, which took place in the Batla House locality of Jamia Nagar in Delhi on September 19, 2008, had stirred immense debate and controversy. The encounter was conducted by the Delhi Police's Special Cell against suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives who were believed to be involved in various bomb blasts across India, including the 2008 Delhi serial blasts.
Ariz Khan arrested after prolonged manhunt
Inspector Sharma was killed during the operation, while others were arrested. Khan was one of the accused who was later apprehended at the India-Nepal border on February 14, 2018 after a prolonged manhunt.
Another convict and Indian Mujahideen operative Shahzad Ahmad died in January 2023 during treatment at the AIIMS in New Delhi. Ahmad also was convicted killing Inspector Sharma in the encounter. Ahmad was arrested in Lucknow in 2010.
