Batla House encounter: Delhi court gives life sentence to Shahzad.
In the 2008 Batla House encounter case in India the trial court awarded today life term to the lone convict Shahzad Ahmed for murdering inspector M C Sharma and wounding two cops.
Delhi court also fined Rs 95,000 to Shahzad of which Rs 40,000 will be given to the family of killed inspector and another Rs 20,000 to the wounded police Balwant.
Last week the suspected Indian Mujahideen operative was convicted and found guilty of assaulting cops and obstructing them from doing their duty.
As no mitigating circumstances were found in favor of the only arrested man in the controversial encounter case the Delhi Police demanded for capital punishment.
The prosecutor cited Supreme Court verdicts in Ajmal Kasab and Devenderpal Singh Bhullar cases and said the 2008 Batla House encounter case too has been shocking to the collective conscience of the society.
The special public prosecutor Satwinder Kaur said Shahzad is a threat to the society and there is no scope for his rehabilitation and reformation.
Additional sessions judge Rajender Kumar Shastri pronounced the sentence hearing arguments of both the sides.
Shahzad however denied of any such association with the Indian Mujahideen and said he was not present in the apartment where the encounter took place.
The Batla House encounter happened in 2008 in national capital New Delhi few days after serial blasts in which 26 people were killed and over 100 injured in the Greater Kailash, Connaught Place and Karol Bagh areas in the city. The Delhi Police alleged men responsible for conducting such terror attacks in the city have taken shelter in the Batla House building.