A Delhi court on Saturday, October 10, convicted former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain of abetting rioting in a case linked to the February 2020 northeast Delhi riots. Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh at the Karkardooma Courts acquitted him of the other charges in the case, and the co-accused were acquitted of all charges.
The case concerns the looting and burning of a shop in the Dayalpur area during the violence. The court has listed the matter for arguments on the quantum of sentence on November 16.
What the Case Was About
The case was registered as FIR No. 120 of 2020 at Dayalpur police station in North-East Delhi. According to the prosecution, a shop where the complainant, Irshad Ali, worked was looted on February 24, 2020. The mob allegedly broke open the shutter and set the shop on fire.
The complainant put the loss at roughly Rs 17–18 lakh for goods taken from the shop and around Rs 10 lakh for damage to the building. A second complainant, Mohd. Zahid, told investigators that rioters were shouting slogans in Hussain's name and claiming to be with him. Two police constables, who said they already knew Hussain as a public figure, identified him.
Hussain was formally arrested in this case on April 21, 2020 at Mandoli Jail, where he was already in judicial custody in another riots-related case.
Charges and Verdict at a Glance
| Court | Karkardooma Courts, Delhi |
| Judge | Additional Sessions Judge Parveen Singh |
| Case | FIR No. 120/2020, Dayalpur police station |
| Incident | Shop looted and set on fire, February 24, 2020 |
| Charges in FIR | Rioting (IPC 147, 148, 149), mischief (427), mischief by fire (436), criminal conspiracy (120B) |
| Verdict for Hussain | Convicted of abetment of rioting; acquitted of other charges |
| Co-accused | Acquitted of all charges |
| Next date | November 16 – arguments on sentence |
Who Is Tahir Hussain?
Tahir Hussain was an AAP councillor from the Nehru Vihar ward of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi when the riots broke out. He was suspended by the party after his name surfaced in the riot cases and has been in custody for most of the period since 2020. He faces several cases linked to the violence, including the larger conspiracy case being probed under the anti-terror law UAPA.
Earlier this year, in July, a Delhi court convicted him along with four others in the case of the killing of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma during the riots. Saturday's verdict is a separate case, centred on property destruction in Dayalpur.
The 2020 Riots
The communal violence that broke out in northeast Delhi in late February 2020 left 53 people dead and hundreds injured, and caused widespread damage to homes, shops and places of worship. Delhi Police registered hundreds of FIRs, and trials in many of these cases are still going on at the Karkardooma Courts more than six years later.
What It Means
The verdict is significant because it separates the different charges against a high-profile accused. The court found enough evidence to hold Hussain responsible for abetting the riot that targeted the shop, but did not convict him of the conspiracy and arson charges. The detailed order, which will explain how the court weighed the eyewitness and police testimony, is still awaited.
The case also shows how much weight courts place on identification evidence in riot trials. Here, the complainants' accounts of slogans raised in Hussain's name and the testimony of two constables who knew him by sight formed a key part of the prosecution's story. How the court treated each piece of that evidence will become clearer once the full judgment is public, and it may be closely studied in other pending riot cases where similar evidence has been relied on.
For the families and traders affected in 2020,every verdict is a step in a long wait for closure. For the courts, the riot cases remain among the most closely watched criminal trials in the capital.
What Happens Next
- Detailed judgment: The full written order is expected to be uploaded, setting out the court's reasoning.
- Sentencing hearing: Arguments on the quantum of sentence will be heard on November 16, after which the court will announce the punishment.
- Possible appeal: Hussain can challenge the conviction before the Delhi High Court once the sentence is pronounced.
- Other trials: Proceedings in the remaining riot cases against him, including the larger conspiracy case, will continue separately.
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