The MEA stated that the Indian Embassy in UAE got confirmation of the execution on February 28 and the information as conveyed to the father. The father of Shahzadi was also given a dedicated phone to contact the Indian Embassy.
In a shocking revelation, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), appearing for the Centre in a petition filed by Shahzadi Rai, an Indian national sentenced to death in UAE over a child’s death, informed the Delhi High Court that she had been executed on February 15.
The ASG also stated that her burial is scheduled for March 5, and the authorities were extending all possible assistance to her family. After the revelation, the plea of Khan’s father seeking MEA intervention was disposed off by the Delhi High Court.
Representing the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma and Advocate Ashish Dikshit informed the Delhi High Court that the Indian Embassy in UAE received an official communication on February 28, 2025, from the UAE government. The communication stated that Shehzadi’s death sentence was executed on February 15, 2025, in accordance with UAE laws and regulations.
‘Embassy already informed father’: MEA
The MEA stated that the Embassy informed Shabbir Khan, the petitioner and father of Shahzadi, about the confirmation of her execution. He was also informed that the family could come to the UAE by March 5, 2025, to participate in her last rites. Additionally, a dedicated mobile number for contacting the Indian Embassy was provided to Khan, stated MEA.
Notably, Shahzadi Khan, a 33-year-old woman belonged to UP’s Banda district and was facing execution in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She was imprisoned in Abu Dhabi’s Al Wathba jail and was sentenced to death by a court for the death of a child who was under her care.
In the petition, the father told that in December 2021, she obtained a visa and traveled to Abu Dhabi, with a transit in Dubai. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son for whom she was employed as a caregiver. On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations and tragically passed away that evening.
Although, the hospital recommended a postmortem, the infant’s parents refused and signed a consent letter waiving further investigation, the plea stated. However, in February 2023, a video recording allegedly showed Shahzadi confessing to the infant’s homicide, a confession she claims was extracted through torture and abuse by Employer and her family.
On February 10, 2023, Shahzadi was handed over to the Abu Dhabi police, and on July 31, 2023, she was sentenced to death for the infant’s homicide. In September 2023, her plea was dismissed, and the death penalty was upheld on February 28, 2024.
With ANI Inputs