New Delhi, 18 August

The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Delhi Police while hearing a petition challenging the life imprisonment awarded by a trial court in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. A bench of Justice Madhu Jain fixed December 2 for the next hearing in the matter.

Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh had convicted Tahir Hussain, Nazim, Qasim, Anas and Javed in connection with Ankit Sharma’s murder and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court had also acquitted six other accused — Haseen alias Mulla Ji alias Salman, Sameer Khan, Firoz, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam alias Bobby and Muntazim alias Musa.

Nazim and Qasim have challenged their life sentences before the High Court, and their petitions came up for hearing on Tuesday.

While hearing the petitions, the High Court issued notice to the Delhi Police. The court also sought a status report from the concerned jail authorities on the petitioners’ plea seeking suspension of their sentences. The plea for suspension of the sentences will be considered on December 2.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch filed a chargesheet in the case on June 3, 2020. According to the chargesheet, on February 24 and 25, 2020, Tahir Hussain allegedly led a mob from his residence and a mosque near the Chand Bagh drain and allegedly gave the violence a communal character.

The chargesheet alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to kill Ankit Sharma and that the IB officer was specifically targeted by the mob allegedly led by Hussain. The incident took place outside Hussain’s residence in the Khajuri Khas area, following which Sharma’s body was allegedly thrown into a drain.

According to the police, several people were seen dumping the body into the drain. Sharma’s post-mortem examination reportedly found 51 injuries caused by a sharp-edged weapon.

The chargesheet alleged that Hussain had incited the mob in the Chand Bagh area and described him as the alleged mastermind of the violence. The Delhi Police had registered the case against Hussain on the basis of a complaint lodged by Ankit Sharma’s father.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar