New Delhi: A Delhi court has sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Security Assistant Ankit Sharma during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The court also imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on Hussain.
The other four convicts—Nasim, Kasim, Javed, and Anas—were convicted of murder, rioting, rioting while armed with deadly weapons, kidnapping, and promoting enmity between communities. Although the court acquitted Tahir Hussain of the charge of criminal conspiracy, it held him guilty of the other serious offences. Six other accused in the case had earlier been acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The court had convicted the five accused on July 13, and pronounced the sentence after hearing arguments on punishment.
Court’s Verdict
While delivering the sentence, the Karkardooma Court observed that the crime was “extremely brutal” and reflected deep hatred.
“A heinous and exceptionally brutal crime was committed. Even after the murder, the victim’s body was dragged and thrown into a nearby drain, reflecting the extent of hatred,” the court observed.
Delhi Police had urged the court to award the death penalty, arguing that the murder fell under the “rarest of rare” category. Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey submitted that the killing was premeditated, cold-blooded, and carried out without any provocation.
However, the court declined to impose capital punishment, noting that while the crime was undoubtedly grave, the prosecution had failed to establish the precise individual role of each convict in inflicting the fatal injuries. The court also took into account mitigating circumstances, including the educational background of the accused and the atmosphere created by widespread misinformation during the riots.
“Though the offence is undoubtedly brutal, the individual role of each convict could not be distinctly established. Considering the mitigating circumstances, the case does not warrant the imposition of the death penalty,” the court said while awarding life imprisonment.
Case Diary
According to the prosecution, on February 25, 2020, 26-year-old IB Security Assistant Ankit Sharma returned home after work in the Khajuri Khas area of North-East Delhi. When he stepped outside his house, he was allegedly surrounded by a violent mob.
The prosecution alleged that Sharma was dragged away and assaulted with knives, iron rods, sticks, and stones. His body was recovered the following day from a drain in Khajuri Khas.
The post-mortem examination revealed 51 external injuries, including 18 stab wounds caused by sharp-edged weapons. The prosecution further told the court that the assault continued even after Sharma had succumbed to his injuries, highlighting the extreme brutality of the attack.
Background
The murder took place during the communal violence that erupted in North-East Delhi in February 2020 amid protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The riots claimed 53 lives, left hundreds injured, and caused extensive damage to homes, shops, and places of worship.
Following the allegations in the case, Tahir Hussain was suspended by the Aam Aadmi Party. He has remained in judicial custody for more than five years.
