The Supreme Court on January 22, 2026, issued notice to the Delhi government (NCT) on a curative petition filed by Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative convicted in the deadly 2000 Red Fort terror attack. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Vikram Nath and J.K. Maheshwari, directed the authorities to file a detailed response to the plea seeking review of his death penalty.

Ashfaq was sentenced to death by a trial court for his role in the December 22, 2000, attack on the iconic Red Fort, which killed three Army personnel and injured over 20 others. The assailants opened indiscriminate fire and lobbed grenades at security forces guarding the historic monument during an evening event. The Delhi High Court in 2007 and the Supreme Court in 2011 upheld the capital punishment, describing the act as a grave assault on national symbols.

In November 2022, a bench led by then Chief Justice U.U. Lalit dismissed Ashfaq’s review petition, terming the Red Fort attack a “direct attack on the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India.” Earlier review and curative pleas were also rejected, prompting the convict to file yet another curative petition before the apex court, seeking leniency and reconsideration of his sentence.

Curative petitions are rare and exceptional remedies available only in cases of gross miscarriage of justice or violation of natural justice principles, and are heard in chambers by senior judges. The issuance of notice indicates the court has found sufficient grounds to seek the government’s view before deciding whether to admit the plea for hearing.

The development revives public and legal attention on one of India’s most high-profile terror cases linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. The matter now awaits the Delhi government’s reply as proceedings continue in the Supreme Court.