The Delhi High Court on Monday issued notice to the Delhi Police on a bail plea filed by former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain in connection with the 2020 murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the northeast Delhi riots.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna directed the police to file a status report within three weeks and listed the matter for further hearing in July.
The petition, filed by advocate Tara Narula on behalf of Hussain, argued that the accused has been in custody for over five years and that the trial, despite the court’s efforts, is unlikely to conclude soon. The plea challenges the trial court’s March 12 order rejecting Hussain’s bail application.
Contesting the prosecution’s case, the petition stated, “There is no credible evidence to show any involvement of the applicant in the alleged incident.” It further claimed that three out of five public witnesses had exonerated Hussain, saying they did not see him at the scene during the relevant time. The two remaining “chance witnesses,” according to the plea, gave inconsistent statements with significant contradictions that “inspire no confidence.”
The plea also cast doubts on the reliability of police witness testimonies, pointing to alleged discrepancies and improvements. It highlighted that the complainant himself failed to identify the complaint that led to the FIR, thereby raising serious questions about the prosecution’s case.
According to the prosecution, Ankit Sharma had gone missing on February 25, 2020. The following day, his father Ravinder Kumar informed the Dayalpur police station about his disappearance. Locals later alleged that Sharma had been murdered and thrown into a drain near the Chand Bagh pulia. His body, bearing 51 injury marks, was recovered from the Khajuri Khas nala.
Tahir Hussain has been named as one of the accused in the case, with the prosecution alleging that he and four others were part of a violent mob involved in rioting and arson that led to Sharma’s killing.
The northeast Delhi riots, which erupted on February 24, 2020, amid clashes over the Citizenship Amendment Act, claimed at least 53 lives and left hundreds injured.
