Indian Woman on Death Row in Abu Dhabi Executed on February 15, Delhi HC Told

PTI, NEW DELHI, MARCH 3, 2025 :  An Indian woman on death row in Abu Dhabi for the alleged murder of a four-month-old child has already been executed on February 15, the Delhi High Court hearing her father's plea about her well-being was informed on Monday.

On being informed about the development, Justice Sachin Datta termed it "very unfortunate." "It is over. She was executed on February 15. Her last rites will be held on March 5," Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court.

The submission was made in a hearing on a petition by the 33-year-old woman's father seeking to know her well-being. Shahzadi Khan was handed over to the Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023, and she was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023. She was lodged in the Al Wathba jail.

Shabbir Khan, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Banda, said there was "profound uncertainty" regarding his daughter Shahzadi's situation, and his repeated applications to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for clarification were fruitless.

The plea further alleged that Shahzadi was inadequately represented before the local courts in the case over the alleged murder of her employer's four-month-old child and that she was pressured into confessing, leading to the imposition of the death penalty on her.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel said his limited prayer was to know whether his daughter was alive or if she had been hanged. He said on February 14, Shahzadi had called the family from the prison, saying that she would be executed in a day or two, and this would be her last call. Since then, they were unaware of her well-being, he said.

The Centre's counsel told the court that the Embassy officials and the petitioner were in touch, and arrangements were being made so that the family could attend their daughter's last rites in Abu Dhabi. "We did our best. We hired a law firm there to represent her in court. But the laws there deal with the murder of an infant very severely," he submitted.

The petition said, "On February 14, 2025, the petitioner's daughter telephoned him from detention, informing him that she had been relocated within the facility and that, prior to her potential execution, her final wish was to speak with her parents."

"The petitioner, with considerable effort, submitted an application dated February 21, 2025, to the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking to ascertain the current legal status of his daughter and confirm whether she remains alive or has been executed," it added.

The plea said the woman traveled to Abu Dhabi in December 2021 after obtaining a legal visa. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son, for whom Shahzadi was employed as a caregiver. On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations and tragically passed away that evening, it said.

The man claimed that the infant's parents refused consent for a post-mortem and also signed an agreement to waive further investigation into the death.

Agencies: Shahzadi Khan, a 33-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh, was hired as a caregiver by an Indian family living in Abu Dhabi. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son, for whom Khan was employed as a caregiver. The child died on December 7, 2022, after receiving routine vaccinations and Shahzadi was accused of causing the death.  

Later, in February 2023, a video recording allegedly showed the woman confessing to the infant's homicide— a confession she claimed was extracted through torture and abuse by her employer and their family. Subsequently, she was handed over to the Abu Dhabi police, and on July 31, 2023, she was sentenced to death. 

According to the government, the woman  was executed on February 15, and her burial is scheduled for March 5. The government informed the court that the Ministry of External Affairs received the update on February 28.

According to Shahzadi's father's complaint, despite the hospital recommending a post-mortem, the infant's parents refused and signed a consent letter waiving further investigation.