A Delhi court on Saturday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain in a case related to rioting and arson in northeast Delhi’s Dayalpur area during the February 2020 riots. Twelve other accused in the case were acquitted of all charges. The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai at the Karkardooma Courts. Hussain was convicted of abetment of rioting but acquitted of the remaining charges. The court is scheduled to hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on November 16.
The case involved 13 accused, including Hussain, Mohammad Shadab, Shah Alam, Riyasat Ali, Gulfam, Rashid, Mohammad Rihan, Mohammad Abid, Arshad Qayyum, Irshad Ahmed, Deepak Singh Saini, Navneet and Mehak Singh. All 13 had faced charges including rioting, causing damage to property, mischief by fire and criminal conspiracy. The FIR was registered under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Sections 147, 148 and 149, which deal with rioting and unlawful assembly, Section 427 concerning damage to property, Section 436 relating to mischief by fire, and Section 120B covering criminal conspiracy.
The case arose from the violence that swept parts of northeast Delhi in February 2020, leaving several people dead and injured and causing widespread damage to homes, shops and other properties. The latest judgment concerns the specific allegations examined in the Dayalpur arson case.
Second Conviction Linked to the 2020 Riots
Saturday’s verdict marks another conviction for Hussain in proceedings arising from the 2020 Delhi riots. He was previously convicted in a separate case concerning the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the violence. In July, a Delhi court convicted Hussain and four other accused in connection with Sharma’s murder. During the sentencing proceedings, Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey argued that Sharma had been abducted and brutally assaulted. He cited 51 injuries on the victim’s body, including 18 inflicted with sharp-edged weapons, while seeking the death penalty for the convicts.
The prosecution argued that the brutality of the crime warranted the maximum punishment. However, the court sentenced the five convicts to life imprisonment rather than awarding the death penalty. It observed that the prosecution had failed to establish that the convicts were beyond reform or that their release after serving their sentences would necessarily pose a threat to society.
Sentencing in Arson Case Awaited
The Dayalpur arson case is separate from the Ankit Sharma murder proceedings, and the two judgments concern different offences. Hussain’s conviction in the latest case does not mean that he was found guilty of every charge originally brought against him. The acquittal of the 12 co-accused means the court did not find them guilty of the charges in this particular case. Hussain’s sentence in the arson matter will be determined after the court hears arguments on November 16. The latest ruling adds to the legal proceedings against Hussain arising from the 2020 riots, while the sentencing hearing will determine the punishment for his conviction in the Dayalpur case.
