Delhi Police seek death penalty for Tahir Hussain

In a high-profile sentencing hearing on Monday, July 27, 2026, Delhi police prosecutors sought the death penalty for former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain and four others convicted of murdering Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Delhi riots. The prosecution argued the killing was a "rarest of rare" case, describing a brutal assault that continued even after the victim's death.

The arguments were presented before Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh at the Karkardooma Courts. Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey urged the court to impose capital punishment, stating the convicts had "fallen to the level of animals" during the attack. He detailed that Sharma was abducted, relentlessly assaulted, and killed, with the assault persisting after his death. The prosecution cited forensic evidence showing 51 wounds on Sharma's body, 18 of which were inflicted by sharp-edged weapons, as proof of the crime's diabolical nature.

Pandey characterized the murder as cold-blooded, arguing that those who showed no mercy during the riots should not be entitled to seek leniency. He further contended that the killing should be viewed within the broader context...