A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been submitted to the Delhi High Court, calling for the removal of the graves of Mohammad Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhatt from the Tihar jail complex. Both individuals were executed in the Tihar jail after being convicted and awarded the death penalty.
The petition also seeks directions for the relocation of their mortal remains to a secure, undisclosed location. This action is proposed to prevent the “glorification of terrorism” and any misuse of the jail premises for such purposes.
Filed by the Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh, the PIL asserts that the existence and maintenance of these graves within a government-controlled prison are “illegal, unconstitutional, and against public interest.” The petition alleges that the graves have transformed Tihar jail into a site for “radical pilgrimage,” attracting extremist elements who venerate convicted terrorists.
According to the plea, this situation not only compromises national security and public order but also implicitly endorses terrorism, contravening India’s constitutional principles of secularism and the rule of law.
The plea further contends that the presence of these graves violates the Delhi Prisons Rules, 2018. These rules mandate that the bodies of executed prisoners be handled in a manner that prevents glorification, upholds prison discipline, and maintains public order.
Petitioners are urging the court to intervene and direct the relevant authorities to remove the graves from Tihar Jail. They advocate for their relocation in a manner similar to the disposal of bodies of terrorists like Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Memon, where strict measures were taken to prevent any glorification.
The plea highlights that both Bhatt and Guru, influenced by “extremist Jihadi ideology,” were responsible for acts of terrorism that posed a significant threat to India’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security. Mohammad Maqbool Bhatt was executed in 1984, and Mohammad Afzal Guru in February 2013.