Delhi HC Seeks Police Stand on Tahir Hussain Appeal in Ankit Sharma Murder Case

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the response of the Delhi Police on an appeal moved by former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain, who has challenged his conviction and the life sentence handed down to him in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau staff member Ankit Sharma during the February 2020 riots in New Delhi.

A division bench comprising Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Vikas Mahajan admitted Hussain's appeal against the trial court's verdict and listed the matter for hearing on December 2. The court noted that the plea will be taken up together with connected appeals filed by co-convicts sentenced in the same case.

In addition to issuing notice on the appeal, the high court directed the jail authorities to place Hussain’s nominal roll on record. The bench also called for the lower trial court records to be placed before it ahead of the scheduled proceedings.

Challenging the trial court judgment that convicted and sentenced him, Hussain contended in his appeal that the investigation in the case was compromised. He alleged that the probe had been deliberately aimed at implicating him in order to satisfy public anger surrounding the incident.

During the hearing, counsel representing the Delhi Police submitted that the prosecution would present its arguments for all related appeals simultaneously.

The bench observed that hearing all connected appeals arising out of the trial court judgment together would prevent unnecessary delays. The judges remarked, “All connected appeals arising out of the same judgment are coming up on Dec 2. We have to assess the role of everybody. We will assess everybody’s role separately but will hear them together. It will save judicial time if heard together.”

The case arises from the communal unrest in Delhi in February 2020. According to the prosecution, Sharma, who was serving with the Intelligence Bureau, went missing on February 25, 2020.