The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directs the police to respond to a bail plea by former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain.
Hussain is accused in the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the northeast Delhi riots in February 2020.
Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta issued the notice following Hussain’s challenge to a trial court’s December 3 order, which denied him bail, citing no material change in circumstances.
In his plea, filed through advocate Tara Narula, Hussain argued that he has been in jail for four years and nine months, and the trial in the case is far from completion. Out of 114 prosecution witnesses, only 20 have been examined so far. The petition noted that several co-accused individuals allegedly involved in the same riotous mob have already been granted bail by the High Court.
The prosecution claims that on February 26, 2020, Ravinder Kumar, the complainant, reported his son Ankit Sharma missing to the Dayalpur police station. Sharma, who worked for the Intelligence Bureau, had gone missing on February 25, 2020. Locals informed the family that a body had been dumped in the Khajuri Khas drain near Chand Bagh mosque after being killed.
Sharma’s body was later recovered from the drain, bearing 51 injuries. The prosecution alleges that Hussain, along with other accused individuals, was part of a violent mob involved in rioting, arson, and Sharma’s murder.
The communal violence in northeast Delhi erupted on February 24, 2020, following clashes between supporters and protesters of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The riots spiraled out of control, resulting in at least 53 deaths and numerous injuries.
Hussain’s plea highlights his prolonged incarceration and the unlikely completion of the trial in the near future due to the large number of witnesses yet to be examined. The High Court will now consider the police’s response before making a decision on his bail application.
