A Delhi court on Saturday convicted former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain of rioting and abetment to rioting in a case linked to the northeast Delhi violence of February 2020, while acquitting 12 other accused of all charges.
Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh delivered the verdict at the Karkardooma court. Hussain was convicted in connection with a First Information Report registered by the Dayalpur police after a complaint by Irshad Ali, who alleged that his shop had been looted and set on fire during the violence on February 24, 2020.
The court held Hussain guilty of rioting and abetment to rioting. However, he was discharged of several other offences, including damage to property, arson and criminal conspiracy. The detailed order explaining the court’s findings was awaited at the time of the report.
Mr. Ali told the court that the incident caused losses of ₹27-28 lakh, including the value of goods allegedly stolen from his shop and damage to the property. Another complainant, Mohd Zahid, alleged that members of the mob involved in the incident had raised slogans supporting the former councillor.
The court has scheduled the hearing on the quantum of sentence for November 16, 2026. Until then, the conviction establishes the finding of guilt recorded by the trial court, while the detailed reasoning and the sentence remain pending.
The case is among several criminal proceedings arising from the northeast Delhi riots, which claimed 53 lives, left many people injured and caused extensive damage to homes, shops and other property in February 2020. The violence placed questions of public order, accountability and the protection of urban neighbourhoods at the centre of prolonged legal proceedings.
Hussain and four others were also convicted in July in a separate case concerning the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the riots. Saturday’s verdict relates to the alleged looting and burning of Mr. Ali’s shop and is a separate proceeding.
The next formal development in the case will be the sentencing hearing before the Karkardooma court on November 16. The detailed judgment is expected to set out the evidence and legal reasoning behind the conviction and the acquittal of the 12 other accused.
