US court has dismissed the appeal plea by Dr Aafia Siddiqui against her conviction and sentence and upheld 86-year prison term awarded on her by a New York court.
A New York court had sentenced Dr Aafia Siddiqui to 86-year jail term in September 2010 for shooting FBI agents and US army personnel during her arrest in Afghanistan. Counsels of Dr Aafia had filed appeal plea against her sentence in federal court at New York seeking fresh trial of the case.
They had taken the ground in the appeal plea norms of justice were not met in the case against their client and she was awarded punishment on the basis of charges lacking evidence.
Pronouncing a 42-page verdict, US court declined to accept the plea that what Dr Aafia Siddiqui had done was due to her being in state of mental disorder.
The court ruled in the decision that element of terrorism could not be ruled out from the case. District judge gave full opportunity to Dr Aafia before rendering judgment that she should fully keep in picture the consequences of the statements given by her in the court. But she gave no indication at any stage for her withdrawal from her statements, court added.