NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.Additional sessions judge Praveen Singh pronounced the sentence to all five accused after hearing arguments on the quantum and said that the prosecution was not able to prove that the convicts are not beyond reformation.The judgement was pronounced in the physical presence of Hussain and others amid tight security. The courtroom was packed with lawyers and senior Delhi Police officials including Crime Branch’s Joint Commissioner and DCP.The Karkardooma court had convicted Hussain and four others in the case earlier this month. Delhi Police had sought the death penalty, calling the murder a “rarest of rare” case.Special public prosecutor Madhukar Pandey argued that the killing was cold-blooded and deliberate, pointing to 51 injuries on Sharma’s body, seven of which were sufficient to cause death. He also said Sharma was dragged, allegedly with clothes tied around his neck, and thrown into a drain.The prosecution also argued that Hussain, being an MCD councillor and public servant at the time, had a duty to protect Sharma.Hussain’s lawyer, Rajiv Mohan, sought leniency, arguing that the death penalty could not be imposed in every murder case and that mitigating circumstances must be considered. He said Hussain had no specific role in the killing and that the prosecution had failed to prove conspiracy.’51 injuries, cloth tied around neck’During the final arguments in the court, special public prosecutor for the Delhi Police, Advocate Madhukar Pandey, had sought the death penalty for former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.Pandey, while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, had highlighted the alleged brutality of the killing and said Ankit Sharma suffered 51 injuries, seven of which were fatal. He argued that the murder was meticulously planned and that the victim, who was unarmed, was surrounded by a mob and subjected to a prolonged assault.He further alleged that Sharma’s body was not taken to a hospital but was dumped into a drain, with a cloth tied around his neck to drag him to the other side.Pandey also said the evidence and witness testimonies showed that Sharma was wearing only his underwear, with his other clothes torn off.“Those pleading for leniency before the court ought to have shown some mercy themselves,” he said.
