The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked the police to reply to a plea by former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain seeking bail in a case related to the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) employee Ankit Sharma during the north-east Delhi riots in February 2020.
Mr. Hussain has challenged a trial court’s December 3 order rejecting his bail application “for want of a material change in circumstances”.
His petition stated that out of the 114 prosecution witnesses, only 20 have been examined so far. He has been in jail for four years and nine months and suffered a long period of incarceration, and as there are a large number of witnesses to be examined, the trial is unlikely to be concluded soon, the petition stated.
Mr. Hussain also submitted that the Delhi High Court has already granted bail to the co-accused allegedly involved in the riotous mob and offence of murder.
According to the prosecution, on February 26, 2020, the complainant, Ravinder Kumar, informed the police that his son, Sharma, who was posted in the IB, was missing.
Mr. Kumar had stated that he came to know from residents’ that a person had been “thrown into the Khajuri Khas drain from the mosque of Chand Bagh Pulia” after being murdered.
The prosecution alleged that Sharma’s body was recovered from the drain, and there were 51 injuries on his body. Mr. Hussain is one of the accused in the case.
This story was originally published in thehindu.com.
