President Droupadi Murmu has declined the mercy petition of Mohammed Arif, also known as Ashfaq, in connection with the 2000 Red Fort attack case. Arif was convicted and sentenced to death for his involvement in the attack, during which three Army personnel were killed.

The decision follows the dismissal of Arif's review petition by the Supreme Court on November 3, 2022, which upheld his conviction and death sentence. The court emphasized the gravity of the attack on India’s unity, integrity, and sovereignty, finding no grounds for mitigating Arif's culpability.

The Red Fort attack occurred on December 22, 2000, when assailants attacked the 7 Rajputana Rifles unit stationed within the fort, resulting in the deaths of three Army personnel. Arif, identified as a Pakistani national and a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was arrested by Delhi Police shortly after the incident. He was subsequently found guilty of conspiring with other militants to execute the attack.

Arif's legal challenges included unsuccessful attempts to overturn the death sentence through various petitions and appeals in the courts. Despite these efforts, the Supreme Court's decision in November 2022 reaffirmed his conviction under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and maintained the sentence.

President Murmu's rejection of Arif's mercy plea marks the second such instance since her inauguration in July 2022. Previously, she denied the plea of Vasant Sampat Dupare in April 2023, who was convicted for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Nagpur.