Tihar Jail. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
A plea before the Delhi High Court has sought directions to remove the graves of terrorists Mohammad Afzal Guru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhatt, who were awarded death penalty and executed in Tihar jail, from the prison premises.
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The plea sought directions to the authorities 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 continued existence of these graves inside a state-controlled prison was “illegal, unconstitutional, and against public interest”.
The plea said presence of these graves turned the Tihar central jail 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.
While Bhatt was hanged in 1984, Guru was executed in February 2013.
Published – September 23, 2025 12:07 am IST
