“Neither Ankit Sharma’s Family Nor Tahir Hussain Got Justice”: Defence Lawyer
New Delhi: Special Public Prosecutor Madhukar Pandey on Monday said the verdict in the Ankit Sharma case is not a victory for either side, after a court found former AAP councilor Tahir Hussain and four others guilty of the sensational murder of an Intelligence Bureau officer during the northeast Delhi riots in 2020.
“In such cases, everyone loses,” Pandey said, adding that the victim’s family has suffered and now the convicted accused’s family will also suffer.
He said the loser was society and the decision was not a victory for either side.
Hussain’s lawyer Tara Narula also said that “justice has not been served for Ankit Sharma or his family and certainly not for Tahir Hussain.”
“Of course, we are disappointed, but I also believe that we conducted a very good hearing. We have produced witnesses and today I do not think justice has been delivered to Ankit Sharma, his family or Tahir Hussain,” Narula told PTI. He said and added that they would wait for the detailed decision.
“Of course, we will try our luck in the appeal,” he said.
The lawyer said the six people who were acquitted “had a very good case and this was even acknowledged by the court.”
He said Hussein was disappointed. “He wants to know why this injustice was inflicted on him, but we have no answers for him, just as we have no answers to give to the public, because we have not seen the decision,” the lawyer said.
Hussain broke down in court after Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh declared him guilty as his lawyer tried to console him.
He was an AAP councilor at the time of the incident but was later suspended by the party when his name came up in the case.
The court found 5 defendants guilty and acquitted 6 defendants.
The court convicted Hüseyin under IPC sections 302 (murder), 153A (incitement of hostility), 149 (riot), 355 (assault and murder against criminal force), 149, 148 (revolt with deadly weapon), 147 (punishment for rebellion).
However, Hussain was acquitted under IPC Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 109 (criminal punishment) with 149 points.
He also convicted Nazim, Qasim, Javed and Anas on the same charges except murder.
The court acquitted Haseen alias Mullaji alias Salman, Firoz, Gulfam, Soyab, Sameer Khan and Muntajim alias Musa in the case.
The judge announced the decision orally in the presence of all the accused and ordered the police to take into custody Anas and Javed, who were released on bail.
The case pertains to an FIR registered at Dayalpur police station on the complaint of Ankit Sharma’s father Ravinder Kumar.
According to the complaint, Sharma, who was assigned to the Intelligence Bureau, returned home from the office on February 25, 2020 and did not go out again.
When he did not return for a long time, his family started looking for him, but locals reported that his son was killed and his body was dumped in the Khajuri Khas drain near a mosque in Chand Bagh pulia area. Sharma’s body was later recovered from the drain.
In his complaint, Kumar alleged that his son was killed by Hussain and others. They allegedly gathered in Hussain’s office and Ankit’s body was disposed of after the murder.
