Tahir Hussain And 4 Others Get Life Term
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four other convicts to life imprisonment in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
The court awarded life sentences to Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas, who were convicted earlier for murder, criminal conspiracy and other serious offences related to Sharma’s killing.
While pronouncing the sentence, the court described the incident as a “very serious” crime and said the murder had shaken society. The judge observed that the circumstances surrounding the case forced people to reflect on the violence and the manner in which the crime was carried out.
The court noted that the murder took place during the communal violence that erupted in northeast Delhi in February 2020. It observed that the offence involved extreme brutality and said the circumstances reflected the seriousness of the crime.
The judge remarked that Sharma’s body was dragged to Chand Bagh Pulia before being thrown into a drain, describing the act as an example of “barbarity” and a deeply disturbing incident.
The court also observed that the killing was carried out in the backdrop of communal violence and referred to the prosecution’s argument regarding the motive behind the attack.
The Delhi Police had sought capital punishment for all five convicts, arguing that the case fell under the “rarest of rare” category and deserved the death penalty.
However, the court rejected the plea and said there was insufficient material to establish that the convicts had a continuing criminal tendency or a violent disposition that would justify the maximum punishment.
The judge noted that none of the convicts had previous criminal records and observed that they could be reformed and made to follow the rule of law.
The court clarified that although the law permits the death penalty in exceptional cases, such a sentence requires circumstances beyond involvement in an unlawful assembly and commission of the offence.
Earlier this month, the Karkardooma Court convicted Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas for offences including murder and criminal conspiracy in connection with Ankit Sharma’s death.
During the trial, Tahir Hussain denied the allegations and maintained that he had no role in the killing.
The prosecution, however, argued that Sharma was attacked by a mob during the northeast Delhi riots and presented evidence linking the accused to the crime.
Ankit Sharma, a 26-year-old IB employee, was killed during the communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in February 2020. His body was later recovered from a drain in the Chand Bagh area.
The case became one of the most closely followed investigations arising from the Delhi riots, which led to multiple deaths and several criminal cases.
With Friday’s order, Tahir Hussain and the other four convicts will serve life imprisonment in the Ankit Sharma murder case. The detailed sentencing order is expected to provide further reasoning behind the court’s decision.
