Prosecutors had said Ashfaq Rehman, convicted of "waging war" on India, was a member of the banned Pakistan militant group that some analysts suspect of involvement in weekend bombings in New Delhi that killed at least 59 people.

Five others, all Indians, were jailed for between seven years and life over the Red Fort attack, in which three people died.

Mohammad Arif, who used the alias Ashfaq, was handed the death sentence for his role in the December 2000 attack that killed three people at the Mughal-era fort, the lawyer told reporters.

"The court said this was a direct attack on the Indian government and by attacking the Red Fort they wanted to prove they could strike anywhere in India," the lawyer said.