Four other convicts were also awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi court
A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots. Four other convicts in the case were also awarded life sentences.
The sentencing comes weeks after the court held Hussain and the co-accused guilty, concluding that Sharma was killed during one of the most violent episodes of the February 2020 communal clashes in the national capital.
Court awards life imprisonment
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh rejected the prosecution’s plea seeking the death penalty and instead sentenced Hussain and the four other convicts to imprisonment for life.
The prosecution had argued that the killing was exceptionally brutal and warranted the maximum punishment under the law. However, the court ultimately imposed life imprisonment after considering the circumstances of the case.
Murder during the 2020 Delhi riots
Ankit Sharma, an Intelligence Bureau officer, was killed during the communal violence that erupted in Northeast Delhi in February 2020. His body was later recovered from a nearby drain, and the case became one of the most high-profile prosecutions arising out of the riots.
The court had earlier convicted Hussain under multiple provisions related to murder, rioting and unlawful assembly after concluding that he was part of the mob responsible for Sharma’s death.
Significant verdict
The life sentence marks a major milestone in the legal proceedings linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, which claimed dozens of lives and led to multiple criminal investigations.
Hussain, who was formerly associated with the Aam Aadmi Party and later joined the AIMIM, has denied wrongdoing throughout the trial.
For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.
