Former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain convicted in 2020 Delhi riots murder case

A Delhi court convicted former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and four others of murdering Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots. The court held the unlawful assembly acted with "animus against Hindus" and found Hussain guilty of murder, kidnapping, rioting, promotion of enmity and related offences, while acquitting him of a criminal‑conspiracy charge. Six other accused were discharged for lack of evidence. The verdict, delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh, follows a 320‑page judgment that cites the mob’s violent assault and disposal of Sharma’s body in a drain.

The ruling sparked a political backlash. The BJP portrayed the conviction as proof of an "AAP‑Congress ecosystem" behind the anti‑Hindu riots, demanding an apology from Arvind Kejriwal and accusing the opposition of protecting Hussain. AAP responded by reiterating that Hussain was expelled and suspended from the party in February 2020 and that he later contested elections as an AIMIM candidate. Kejriwal posted on X that the party had expelled him long ago. The court set July 23 to hear arguments on the quantum of sentence for Hussain and the co‑convicts. Former Delhi police chief S.N. Shrivastava said the judgment offers solace to Sharma’s bereaved family.