PIL in Delhi HC seeks removal of graves of Afzal Guru, Maqbool Bhatt from Tihar Jail premises

New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to remove the graves of terrorists Mohammad Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhatt, who were awarded death penalty and executed in Tihar jail here, from the prison premises.

The PIL also sought directions to the authorities concerned to relocate the mortal remains, if necessary, to a secret location to prevent “glorification of terrorism” and misuse of jail premises.

The plea filed by Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh and one Jitendra Singh claimed the construction and continued existence of these graves inside a state-controlled prison was “illegal, unconstitutional, and against public interest”.

The petitioner's counsel said they have not received the date of listing of the petition but it could be listed on Wednesday, the day when the high court usually hears PILs.

The plea alleged that presence of these graves has turned the central jail, Tihar, into a site of “radical pilgrimage” where extremist elements gather to venerate convicted terrorists.

“This not only undermines national security and public order, but also sanctifies terrorism in direct contravention of the principles of secularism and rule of law under the Constitution of India,” it said.

The plea claimed that existence of these graves inside the jail "violates the express provisions of the Delhi Prisons Rules, 2018", which mandate disposal of bodies of executed prisoners in a manner that prevents glorification, ensures prison discipline, and maintains public order.

“The petitioners therefore seek the urgent intervention of this court to direct the respondents to remove the said graves from Tihar Jail and ensure their relocation in a secure, undisclosed manner, in line with established state practice in the cases of executed terrorists such as Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon, where every precaution was taken to prevent glorification," it said.

The plea said both Bhatt and Guru, acting under the influence of “extremist Jihadi ideology”, orchestrated and executed acts of terrorism that gravely threatened the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of India.

While Bhatt was hanged in 1984, Guru was executed in February 2013.