Delhi Police on Monday urged a city court to award the death sentence to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four other convicts in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots case involving the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma. Calling the killing “exceptionally brutal” and falling under the “rarest of rare” category, the prosecution pressed for the maximum punishment.
During the sentencing proceedings before Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh in Karkardooma Court, Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey argued that Sharma was forcibly abducted, mercilessly beaten, and murdered in a pre-planned and cold-blooded attack. He told the court that the accused displayed extreme cruelty and allegedly continued assaulting the victim even after he had died.
Referring to the post-mortem report, the prosecutor said Sharma suffered 51 injuries, including 18 inflicted by sharp-edged weapons, which reflected the extreme brutality of the crime. Describing the assault as “diabolical,” Pandey argued that the convicts had acted without compassion and urged the court to impose capital punishment. He also emphasized that the murder should be viewed in the larger backdrop of the 2020 Delhi riots, which claimed the lives of 53 people.
Opposing the prosecution’s plea, counsel representing Tahir Hussain argued that the death penalty should only be imposed in the rarest of rare circumstances. The defence maintained that no direct and specific role had been established against Hussain and highlighted that six of the eleven accused in the case were acquitted following the trial.
The defence further contended that the prosecution failed to prove the existence of any criminal conspiracy involving Hussain. It also argued that a single person could not be held solely accountable for the actions of a violent mob.
Seeking leniency, Hussain’s lawyers informed the court that he had maintained good conduct during his imprisonment and deserved an opportunity for reform and rehabilitation. They also submitted that he is the only earning member of his family, supporting his wife and three children, and requested the court to take these mitigating factors into consideration while deciding the sentence.
The court has reserved its verdict on sentencing and is scheduled to pronounce its order on July 31.
Earlier, on July 13, Tahir Hussain and four co-convicts were found guilty of Ankit Sharma’s murder. The court ruled that they were members of an armed unlawful assembly involved in rioting, arson, looting, and the fatal attack on the IB officer during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
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