New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): A Delhi court has sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and four co-accused–Nazim, Qasim, Javed, and Anas–to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.
Delivering the order, Delhi’s Karkardooma Court noted that while the crime was heinous, the threshold of the convicts being “beyond reformation” required for the death penalty was not established. It further highlighted that the conviction relied on vicarious liability under Section 149 (unlawful assembly).
The verdict has triggered sharp reactions across political lines, with the victims demanding capital punishment, defence teams preparing to appeal, and political parties engaging in a high-voltage war of words.
Ankit Sharma’s family expressed dissatisfaction with the life sentence, calling for the death penalty in higher courts.
“We demanded that the court should treat this case as a ‘rarest of rare’ case, and that the guilty should receive the harshest possible punishment. They should have been given the death penalty… An example should be set so that such an incident never happens to anyone else,” said Ankur Sharma, brother of Ankit Sharma.
Mohd. Asif, brother of convicts Nazim and Qasim, said the family would challenge the order.
“We will appeal in the High Court. One of my brothers, the younger one, Kasim, lived in the village. The other one too went to the village two days prior to the case. Tahir Hussain’s house is very far away; we had no connection at all… The police brought them in and filed a case against them,” Asif told ANI.
Mohd. Junaid, another relative of the convicts, expressed distress over the verdict.
“I have nothing to say; we have full faith in the law. We accept the verdict delivered by the law. Now, we will abide by whatever the lawyer advises… We are in a state of deep distress,” he said.
While Tahir Hussain briefly stated, “I will get justice from the High Court,” his legal counsel and family members of the co-convicts maintained their innocence.
“Neither Tahir Hussain nor any other convict has been attributed any specific role in the murder… It is by virtue of Section 149, which relates to being part of an unlawful assembly, that they have been convicted. We are convinced of his innocence and will be taking the case to the High Court,” said advocate Tara Narula, Defense Counsel.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the verdict, accusing AAP top leadership of shielding Hussain following the 2020 riots.
“We welcome the decision of the Court to sentence former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and five other convicts to life imprisonment in the murder case of the late IB officer Ankit Sharma. Today, the people of Delhi demand answers from the Aam Aadmi Party,” said Rekha Gupta, Delhi Chief Minister, on X.
She further added, “Tahir Hussain was arrested on charges of murder, yet even after that, Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia stood in his support! They kept trying relentlessly to save him! Why? Will Kejriwal tell the people of Delhi? Was it under their patronage that people like Tahir Hussain conspired to incite riots? Today, justice has triumphed. This verdict further strengthens the faith of every citizen of the country in the law and the judiciary.”
Kapil Mishra, Delhi Law Minister, termed the verdict the “beginning of justice” and urged the High Court to commute the life sentence to capital punishment.
“The court’s verdict was delivered today; Tahir Hussain has been sentenced to life imprisonment. This marks the beginning of justice. During the 2020 Delhi riots, a conspiracy was hatched–and executed–to commit a massacre of Hindus under the guise of the Shaheen Bagh protests, which involved blocking roads. Weapons such as bombs, stones, acid, and slingshots were seen on the rooftops of individuals like Tahir Hussain, all captured on camera. Ankit Sharma was taken into Tahir Hussain’s house, stabbed repeatedly, and his body was subsequently dumped into a drain. I, along with others who stand for justice, believe this crime falls into the “rarest of rare” category; we hope that when the case reaches the High Court, the life sentence will be commuted to capital punishment…”
Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh welcomed the decision.”The honourable court has delivered its verdict. We welcome it. The guilty must be punished,” he said.
Delhi Minister Ashish Sood said AAP leaders owed an apology to the people.
“Today, many Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Sanjay Singh, should hang their heads in shame and apologise to the people of Delhi and the nation. Consider the way these individuals defended Tahir Hussain… I welcome the court’s verdict,” he told ANI.
BJP MLA Harish Khurana questioned those who had defended Hussain. “I believe the law has taken its course, and Ankit Sharma’s family must feel some sense of relief today. Questions arise regarding those who viewed Tahir Hussain through the prism of a specific religion and attempted to portray him as innocent. There was an attempt to give him the benefit of the doubt, an assumption that, simply because he belonged to a particular religion, he must be innocent. Recall the actions of Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, and members of the Congress party; consider how they tried to defend him. Tahir Hussain was a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal, a councillor from his own party. Today, I ask these individuals: Will they apologize to the nation?,” told ANI.
BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Harsh Malhotra demanded a public apology from Arvind Kejriwal and AAP leadership for giving a platform to the “mastermind” of the riots.
“I believe the law has taken its course, and Ankit Sharma’s family must feel some sense of relief today. Questions arise regarding those who viewed Tahir Hussain through the prism of a specific religion and attempted to portray him as innocent. There was an attempt to give him the benefit of the doubt, an assumption that, simply because he belonged to a particular religion, he must be innocent. Recall the actions of Arvind Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh, and members of the Congress party; consider how they tried to defend him. Tahir Hussain was a close associate of Arvind Kejriwal, a councillor from his own party. Today, I ask these individuals: Will they apologise to the nation?” Malhotra told ANI.
“The 2020 Delhi riots took place in my parliamentary constituency. Today, the mastermind of the Delhi riots, Tahir Hussain, and his associates have been sentenced to life imprisonment. I view this as a victory for justice; while serving as an Aam Aadmi Party councillor, he committed such a horrific murder and conspired to incite such brutal riots. Today, AAP leaders should come forward and apologise for the kind of people they chose as councillors… The court’s decision to sentence Tahir Hussain and his associates to life imprisonment has strengthened faith in the justice system. Although those who witnessed the Delhi riots firsthand had hoped for an even harsher punishment, this brings great satisfaction–the victory of justice has begun,” Tiwari told ANI.
Rebuffing the allegations, AAP asserted that it took immediate action by expelling Hussain as soon as charges surfaced, countering that Hussain was secretly aligned with the BJP.
“As soon as such an allegation was leveled against Tahir Hussain, AAP took action… The moment the allegation surfaced, AAP immediately expelled him from the party; whereas there are dozens of instances where the BJP embraces individuals involved in the most heinous crimes… In reality, Tahir Hussain was a BJP man. If anyone gained political advantage from the Delhi riots, it was solely the BJP… To ensure a BJP victory in the recent (Delhi Assembly) elections, Tahir Hussain was fielded on an Asaduddin Owaisi party ticket to split non-BJP votes in constituencies like Mustafabad. 25 police personnel accompanied Tahir Hussain daily during his election campaign, even though no official permission had been obtained for this… The Election Commission remained silent,” said Saurabh Bhardwaj, Delhi AAP President.
He added, “Kapil Mishra’s own election office and MLA office were located in the very house of Tahir Hussain where weapons or stones allegedly used in the riots were stored… When the MCD arrived to demolish that house, it was Kapil Mishra who stepped forward to save it… Tahir Hussain helped Kapil Mishra contest the election; let Kapil Mishra try denying that. It was Kapil Mishra who had inducted Tahir Hussain into the party… This individual (Tahir Hussain) was entirely a BJP man; the BJP is the only party that benefits from riots during elections, and he was fielded on Owaisi’s party ticket solely to benefit the BJP.”
AAP Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar emphasised that there is “no room for criminal activities” in AAP, accusing the BJP of using Hussain to split votes during elections.
“The very day the case was registered against him, Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party expelled him from the party. There is no room for criminal activities in our party, and we never offer any kind of protection. In contrast, within the BJP, if you are involved in a serious crime, you receive full protection. It was Kapil Mishra who brought him into the Aam Aadmi Party and secured a ticket for him; subsequently, after the Aam Aadmi Party expelled him, it was the BJP that fielded him from Mustafabad to contest against the Aam Aadmi Party. Therefore, questions must certainly be raised regarding the nature of the BJP’s relationship with him,”Kakkar told ANI.
All India Imam Association, Maulana Sajid Rashidi, raised questions regarding the initial police probe, suggesting Hussain was abandoned politically despite inconsistencies in evidence regarding his rooftop during the riots.
“Tahir was a public representative… He was a decent man… There was a photograph of him from the night of the incident holding a stick, and his roof appeared completely empty. Yet, reports the following day claimed that petrol bombs, stones, and all sorts of things–even slingshots–were present on his roof. It was on this basis that Tahir Hussain was arrested… Kejriwal, in a way, left him to fend for himself, and that is why he met this downfall… The court must have seen something and handed down a life sentence,” he said.
IB officer Sharma was killed during the North-East Delhi riots in February 2020, and his body was later recovered from a drain. (ANI)
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