Parliament attack appeal rejected

India's Supreme Court has rejected a fresh appeal by a man convicted over the 2001 attack on parliament in Delhi.

Shaukat Hussain was one of two men condemned to death for involvement in the attack but had his sentence cut to 10 years in jail on appeal in 2005.

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday it saw no reason to overturn that verdict.

Five gunmen shot dead nine people in the parliament grounds, before being killed. India blamed Pakistan over the attack and the two came close to war.

Acquittals

Shaukat Hussain was found guilty of having knowledge of the attack, but cleared of murder.

Mohammed Afzal, the other man sentenced to death, is still facing execution.

Two others, one of them, Hussain's wife, Afsan Guru, and a college teacher SAR Geelani, were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The attack on parliament on 13 December 2001 left 14 people dead, including five militants and six policemen.

It was one of the most controversial incidents in recent Indian history.

India blamed the attack on the Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group, which it said was backed by Pakistan.

Pakistan denied involvement in the attack but relations between the two countries nose-dived as their armies massed about a million troops along the border.

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