The Delhi Police on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that it will challenge the acquittal of six accused in the murder case of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the 2020 northeast Delhi violence.
The submission was made before a Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan while hearing appeals filed by convicts Nazim and Kasim, who have challenged their conviction and life sentences in the case.
Delhi Police Special Counsel Rajat Nair told the court that the prosecution was preparing an appeal against the acquittal of the six accused.
“The State will be preferring an appeal against the six accused who have been acquitted,” Nair told the court.
The High Court issued notices on the appeals filed by Nazim and Kasim and also sought the relevant trial court records. Their pleas seeking suspension of their life sentences will be considered on December 2.
Five Convicted, Six Acquitted
A trial court had convicted former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, along with Javed, Anas, Nazim and Kasim, in the case.
The five were sentenced to life imprisonment for offences including murder, rioting, unlawful assembly and promoting enmity between groups. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, arguing that the manner in which Sharma was attacked warranted the maximum punishment.
However, the trial court acquitted Haseen, Sameer Khan, Firoz, Gulfam, Shoaib Alam and Muntajim.
The Delhi Police’s latest submission means the acquittals of these six accused are now also likely to be challenged before the High Court.
Convicts Challenge Evidence
During Wednesday’s hearing, lawyers representing Nazim and Kasim questioned the evidence used against them.
Their counsel submitted that no test identification parade was conducted and argued that the testimony relied upon by the prosecution was not supported by independent evidence.
The High Court has sought the trial records while considering their appeals against conviction and life imprisonment.
What Happened to Ankit Sharma?
The case relates to FIR 65 of 2020, registered at Dayalpur police station following a complaint by Sharma’s father, Ravinder Kumar.
According to the complaint, Sharma had returned home from work on February 25, 2020, before leaving again to purchase household items. When he did not return, his family began searching for him.
They were later informed that a man had allegedly been killed and his body thrown into a drain near Chand Bagh Pulia. Sharma’s body was subsequently recovered from the drain and taken to GTB Hospital, where he was declared dead.
The post-mortem examination reportedly found 51 injuries, including injuries caused by sharp-edged weapons and blunt force.
The prosecution case alleged that Sharma was attacked by a mob during the violence and that his body was subsequently dumped in the drain.
The 2020 northeast Delhi violence occurred amid protests and counter-protests over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and resulted in at least 53 deaths.
The High Court will now examine the appeals filed by the two convicts, while the Delhi Police is set to separately challenge the acquittal of the six other accused.
