A Delhi court is set to announce its verdict on Thursday in the 2020 Delhi riots Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma murder case. The Karkardooma Court, which had postponed the verdict from June 4, is now scheduled to deliver it on June 11. The case involves former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councillor Tahir Hussain and 10 other accused.
The case revolves around the killing of IB officer Ankit Sharma, whose body was found in a drain in the Khajuri Khas area on February 26, 2020, amidst widespread communal violence in North-East Delhi. The prosecution alleges that Hussain and the co-accused were part of an unlawful assembly and conspiracy that resulted in Sharma’s murder during the riots.
In March 2023, the Karkardooma Court framed charges against 11 accused, including Hussain, stating that they were to be tried for offenses under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Hussain was additionally charged under other sections of the IPC. The trial court had noted that Hussain purportedly urged the mob to target Hindus and urged them to “not spare them.”
According to the prosecution, an FIR was lodged on February 26, 2020, based on a complaint by Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar. He claimed that his son had gone out on February 25 but never returned. Local residents later informed Kumar that a youth had been thrown into the drain from the Chand Bagh area, leading to the recovery of Sharma’s body.
The complainant accused Hussain and his associates of being responsible for his son’s murder. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had rejected Hussain’s bail plea in the case after reviewing the allegations and evidence presented.
