Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Monday sought the response of police on a plea by former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain seeking regular bail in a case relating to the murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma during the Northeast Delhi riots in Feb 2020.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna listed the matter for hearing in July.
The plea stated that Hussain already completed more than five years in jail, and despite the trial court’s “best efforts” to expedite the trial, its conclusion might take time. It further submitted that the trial court erroneously rejected Hussain’s bail plea on March 12, and there was no credible evidence to show any kind of involvement in the alleged incident.
“The allegation against the applicant in the present case is that of an instigator. Out of the five alleged public eyewitnesses, three exonerated the applicant, categorically stating that they did not see him at the spot at the relevant time. The two chance witnesses support the prosecution case, but their statements are inter se contradictory and replete with major improvements and contradictions, inspiring no confidence in their testimony and cannot be considered credible by any stretch of the imagination,” the plea argued.
“Testimonies of police witnesses also suffer from major improvements and contradictions, and cannot be relied upon as credible evidence against the applicant. Pertinently, the complainant refused to identify the complaint on the basis of which the FIR is registered, raising serious doubts on the case of the prosecution,” it added.
According to the prosecution, on Feb 26, 2020, complainant Ravinder Kumar informed the Dayalpur police station officials that his son Ankit Sharma, who was posted in the Intelligence Bureau, was missing since Feb 25, 2020. He later came to know from some locals that a person was thrown into the Khajuri Khas nala from the masjid of Chand Bagh pulia after being murdered.
The prosecution alleged that Sharma’s body was recovered from Khajuri Khas nala and there were 51 injuries on his body. Hussain is one of the accused in the case. According to the prosecution, the four accused persons were also part of the violent mob involved in the acts of rioting and arson, which killed Sharma.
Mayank Rawat
