Ankit Sharma murder: Delhi court verdict on Tahir Hussain Thursday
Synopsis
More than five years after IB officer Ankit Sharma's body was pulled from a Khajuri Khas drain during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots, the Karkardooma Court will deliver its verdict Thursday on former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 10 others — a ruling that could set the tone for the wider set of riots prosecutions still working through the system.
Key Takeaways
The Karkardooma Court will pronounce its verdict on Thursday in the Ankit Sharma murder case.
Former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 10 other accused face judgment in the case.
Sharma's body was recovered from a drain in Khajuri Khas on 26 February 2020 during the North-East Delhi riots.
Charges were framed in March 2023 under IPC Sections 147, 148, 153A, 302 read with 120B .
The Delhi High Court had earlier rejected Hussain's bail plea.
A Delhi court is set to pronounce its verdict on Thursday in the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The Karkardooma Court will deliver judgment in the case involving former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain and 10 other accused.
Background of the case
The case relates to the killing of Sharma, whose body was recovered from a drain in the Khajuri Khas area on 26 February 2020, amid the communal violence that engulfed North-East Delhi. The prosecution has alleged that Hussain and the co-accused were part of an unlawful assembly and a conspiracy that led to Sharma's murder during the riots.
Charges framed by trial court
In March 2023, the Karkardooma Court framed charges against 11 accused, including Hussain, holding that they were liable to be tried under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with a deadly weapon), 153A (promoting enmity between groups), and 302 (murder), read with 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Hussain was additionally charged under Sections 505, 109, and 114 of the IPC. The trial court had then observed that Hussain allegedly incited the mob to target Hindus and exhorted them to 'not spare them'.
How the FIR took shape
According to the prosecution, an FIR was registered on 26 February 2020 on a complaint by Sharma's father, Ravinder Kumar. He alleged that his son had stepped out on 25 February to purchase household items but failed to return home.
Kumar later learnt from local residents that a youth had reportedly been thrown into the Khajuri Khas drain from the Chand Bagh area. Sharma's body was subsequently recovered from the drain, and the complainant alleged that Hussain and his associates were responsible for the murder.
High Court bail refusal
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Hussain's plea seeking bail in the case. A single-judge Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna rejected the application after considering the allegations and material placed on record.
What's next
The Karkardooma Court's verdict on Thursday will be among the most closely watched outcomes from the 2020 riots prosecutions, given Hussain's profile as a former AAP councillor and the symbolic weight of an IB officer's killing. The judgment is expected to shape the trajectory of related riots trials still pending before the trial courts.
Point of View
But few defendants are as politically resonant as a former ruling-party councillor accused in the killing of a serving IB officer. The pace — verdict more than five years after the killing — also underlines how slowly riots-era prosecutions have moved through Indian courts, even high-profile ones. Whichever way Thursday's ruling goes, it will be read as a signal for the trials still pending.
NationPress
20 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ankit Sharma?
Ankit Sharma was an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer whose body was recovered from a drain in the Khajuri Khas area of North-East Delhi on 26 February 2020, during the communal violence that gripped the region. His father, Ravinder Kumar, filed the original complaint that led to the FIR.
What is the role of Tahir Hussain in the case?
Tahir Hussain, a former Aam Aadmi Party councillor, is the prime accused in the case. The prosecution alleges he was part of an unlawful assembly and conspiracy behind Sharma's murder, and the trial court observed that he allegedly incited a mob during the riots.
What charges have been framed against the accused?
In March 2023, the Karkardooma Court framed charges against 11 accused under IPC Sections 147, 148, 153A, and 302 read with 120B (criminal conspiracy). Hussain was additionally charged under Sections 505, 109, and 114.
Did Tahir Hussain get bail in the case?
No. The Delhi High Court dismissed his bail plea, with a single-judge Bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna rejecting the application after reviewing the allegations and material on record.
When will the verdict be delivered?
The Karkardooma Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on Thursday in the murder case involving Tahir Hussain and 10 other accused.
