A Delhi court has convicted expelled AAP leader Tahir Hussain of abetment to rioting, holding that a mob used the terrace of his building on Main Karawal Nagar Road as a vantage point to throw stones at passers-by and nearby properties during the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh convicted Hussain under Section 147 of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 109, in a case registered at Dayalpur police station. The court’s finding relates to events on February 24, 2020, when, between 2 pm and 3 pm, a mob gathered on the terrace of Hussain’s house and used the building’s height while targeting people and properties in the surrounding area.
The court relied on the testimonies of four public witnesses, according to the 53-page judgment. The finding places the building’s alleged use within the wider question of how privately controlled urban spaces can become operational vantage points during street violence, particularly in dense neighbourhoods where terraces and upper floors overlook public roads.
Hussain was acquitted of several more serious charges in the same case. These included rioting while armed with a deadly weapon under Section 148 of the IPC, theft from a residential house under Section 380, mischief causing damage under Section 427, mischief by fire or explosive under Sections 435 and 436, and trespass to commit an offence punishable with life imprisonment under Section 450. These provisions had also been read with Section 109.
The conviction is the second in a case connected with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, according to the report. On July 31, a Delhi court sentenced Hussain and four co-convicts to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma.
The latest judgment concerns the alleged use of Hussain’s building during the violence and does not convict him on the more serious charges listed by the court. Its account focuses on the terrace, the mob’s position above Main Karawal Nagar Road and the use of the building to throw stones at people and nearby properties.
The case also illustrates the legal importance of establishing the role of specific urban locations during riot investigations. A building may function as a residence in ordinary circumstances but become part of the physical chain of events during a public disorder incident when its height, access points or terrace are allegedly used to target streets below. In this case, the court’s conclusion was based on public-witness testimony concerning the building and the events of February 24, 2020.
The judgment was delivered in the case registered at Dayalpur police station. The supplied report does not provide details of the sentence imposed for the abetment-to-rioting conviction or indicate whether the latest decision will be challenged. Those developments remain subject to subsequent court proceedings.
