The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) sought response of police on a plea by former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain challenging his conviction and life sentence for the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the February 2020 riots.
Justice Prathiba M. The trial court did not award death penalty, saying the prosecution failed to establish that they had such a violent disposition or criminal propensity that their continued existence, even in prison, would pose a menace to society. Singh and Vikas Mahajan admitted the appeal and listed it for hearing on December 2 along with other connected appeals by co-convicts. On February 26, 2020, complainant Ravinder Kumar informed the Dayalpur police station officials that his son Ankit Sharma, who was posted in the Intelligence Bureau (IB), was missing since February 25, 2020, according to the prosecution. Hussain sought setting aside of trial court’s July 13 conviction order and July 31 sentencing order, contending the trial Court has believed the statements of completely unreliable witnesses and relied upon those who did not witness the incident and completely ignored the tainted investigation, including fabrication of the complaint on which the FIR was based.
The trial court on July 31 sentenced Hussain and four co-convicts Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas to life imprisonment for the IB officer’s murder, saying the case did not fall within the “rarest of rare” category warranting death penalty.
The Court also directed jail authorities to place on record the nominal roll of the convict and called for trial court records in the case. Hussain challenged the trial court’s judgment convicting and sentencing him in the case, saying the investigation was aimed at implicating him to satisfy public anger.
