Delhi court convicts councillor, four others for IB murder

A Delhi court on Monday, July 13, 2026, convicted former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and four other men for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh delivered the verdict, which also saw six other accused acquitted for lack of evidence.

Hussain was found guilty of murder, promoting enmity between different religious groups, rioting, and assault. The court convicted him under sections of the Indian Penal Code including 302 (murder) and 153A (promoting enmity). He was, however, acquitted of criminal conspiracy charges. The four other convicted individuals-identified as Nazim, Kasim, Javed, and Anas-were found guilty on charges including rioting and unlawful assembly, but not murder. The six acquitted men are Haseen alias Mullaji alias Salman, Firoz, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam alias Bobby, Muntajim alias Musa, and Sameer Khan.

The case stems from the killing of Ankit Sharma, whose body was found in a drain in the Chand Bagh Pulia area of northeast Delhi on February 26, 2020. According to the First Information Report filed by Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar, the 25-year-old officer had...