Court sentences Tahir Hussain to two years in NE Delhi riots case

A Delhi court on Friday (October 16, 2026) sentenced Tahir Hussain to two years’ imprisonment for abetting rioting during the February 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Praveen Singh of Karkardooma Court observed that although the prosecution had not established Hussain’s direct involvement in the rioting, his alleged role in facilitating the violence remained serious.

“The act attributed to the convict, and for which he stands convicted, is that of providing his house to the rioters for their use. The mere fact that the prosecution did not prove the active participation of the convict in the riot does not dilute the gravity of his conduct, for the hand that guides is as guilty, if not more, as the hand that acts,” the Court said.

Hussain, a former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor who later joined AIMIM, is already serving a life sentence following his conviction in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma.

The case stems from an FIR registered at the Dayalpur police station on the complaint of Irshad Ali, who alleged that his shop was looted and set ablaze on February 24, 2020, during riots. He claimed to have faced a loss of ₹27-28 lakhs, including the goods stolen and damage of property.

Another complainant, Mohd Zahid, alleged that members of the rioting mob raised slogans in support of Hussain.