2020 Delhi Riots: Tahir Hussain Sentenced To Life Imprisonment For IB Officer Ankit Sharma's Murder

New Delhi: The Karkardooma Court on Friday sentenced five convicts, including former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain to life imprisonment in the 2020 Delhi riots murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma. 

What did the court say?

Announcing the sentence, Delhi's Karkardooma Court observed that the manner of committing the crime was extremely brutal. The court added that the brutality did not end with the murder. His body was dragged into a nearby drain, as if the hatred had not yet subsided. 

The court further stated that the crime falls under the category of "rarest of rare cases." The gravity of the crime outweighs the mitigating circumstances.

The savagery did not end there (with the murder of Sharma). Instead, the body was strapped like an animal as if the hatred has still not satiated. The body was then thrown into the nallah (drain). The barbarity with which this horrendous crime was committed, is nauseating and sickening. Therefore this is an aggravating circumstance of immense magnitude... The crime test, thus, tilts the case towards rarest of rare cases,” the court said. 

#WATCH | Delhi | Karkardooma Court awarded life imprisonment to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the murder case of IB official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots

He says, "I will get justice from the High Court." pic.twitter.com/EnHzd9fjID

— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2026

What did the Delhi Police say?

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Praveen Singh of the Karkardooma Court stated that the crime was committed with extreme brutality during communal violence. The body was dragged like an animal and thrown into a drain. 

The Delhi Police had sought the death penalty for Tahir Hussain. The court stated that the government had not presented any evidence to prove that the perpetrators had any violent tendencies or inclination to commit the crime. The court stated that the death penalty is a last resort. The perpetrators can be reformed and made to obey the rules. The court also stated that there is scope for reform among the perpetrators.

#WATCH | Delhi: Karkardooma Court awarded life imprisonment to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the murder case of IB official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots

Advocate Tara Narula, counsel for Tahir Hussain, says, "The main observation of the court was… pic.twitter.com/xP2G6a41M2

— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2026

What did the defense say in court?

During the hearing, the court noted that all the convicts had argued that they were the sole breadwinners of their families. However, the gravity of the crime far outweighed this. Citing Tahir Hussain's good behavior, the defense lawyer also argued that the death penalty could not be imposed solely on the basis of injuries.

How was Ankit Sharma murdered?

On February 25, 2020, Ankit left his Chand Bagh home to buy household items and went missing. According to the police, a violent mob dragged him away and brutally murdered him. His body was dumped in a drain. Ankit Sharma had been stabbed 51 times. Police recovered his body from the drain the next morning. An FIR was registered on February 26, 2020, based on a complaint by Ankit's father, Ravinder Kumar. Ankit's father alleged that rioters, who were spreading the riot from Tahir Hussain's building, attacked Ankit.