Today, On 5th May, In the Delhi riots case, the High Court has sought a response from the police on Tahir Hussain’s bail plea. He is accused in the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 violence.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has requested a response from the police regarding former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain’s request for regular bail. Hussain seeks bail in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) staffer Ankit Sharma during the northeast Delhi riots in February 2020.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna formally notified the police of Hussain’s plea.
While scheduling the next hearing for July, the judge stated,
“Issue notice. Three weeks (for) status report,”
Hussain’s petition, filed through advocate Tara Narula, argues that he has already served over five years in custody. The petition further contends that despite the trial court’s efforts to expedite the trial, its conclusion is likely to be prolonged.
The plea also asserts that the trial court wrongly denied his bail application on March 12th and that there is no reliable evidence linking him to the alleged crime.
The plea asserts,
“The allegation against the applicant in the present case is that of an instigator. Out of the five alleged public eye witnesses, three witnesses have exonerated the applicant, categorically stating that they did not see him at the spot at the relevant time. The two chance witnesses support the prosecution case, their statements are inter se contradictory and replete with major improvements and contradictions inspiring no confidence in their testimony and cannot be considered credible by any stretch of imagination.”
The petition further claims,
“Testimonies of police witnesses also suffer from major improvements and contradictions and cannot be relied upon as credible evidence against the applicant. Pertinently, the complainant has refused the identify the complaint on the basis of which the FIR is registered raising serious doubts on the case of the prosecution.”
Also Read: HC Seeks ED Evidence for Tahir Hussain’s PMLA Case Dismissal Plea in 2020 Riots
The prosecution’s case states that on February 26, 2020, Ravinder Kumar reported to the Dayalpur police station that his son, Ankit Sharma, an Intelligence Bureau employee, had been missing since February 25, 2020.
Kumar later learned from local residents that a person had been murdered and thrown into the Khajuri Khas drain near the Chand Bagh bridge mosque.
Prosecutors contend that Sharma’s body, bearing 51 injuries, was recovered from the Khajuri Khas drain. Hussain is among those accused in the case.
The prosecution asserts that Hussain and three other individuals were part of the violent mob involved in the rioting and arson that resulted in Sharma’s death.
Communal clashes erupted in northeast Delhi on February 24, 2020, escalating from confrontations between supporters and opponents of the citizenship law.
These clashes resulted in at least 53 fatalities and numerous injuries.