![\"Delhi](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132765252,imgsize-135381,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/the-karkardooma-court-had-convicted-tahir-hussain-and-four-others-in-the-case-earlier-this-month.jpg\" "\\"The")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain<\/a> and four thers to life imprisonment for the murder of Intelligence Bureau<\/a> (IB) official Ankit Sharma during the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots.The Karkardooma court had convicted Hussain and four others in the case earlier this month. Delhi Police had sought the death penalty, calling the murder a \u201crarest of rare\u201d case.Special public prosecutor Madhukar Pandey argued that the killing was cold-blooded and deliberate, pointing to 51 injuries on Sharma’s body, seven of which were sufficient to cause death. He also said Sharma was dragged, allegedly with clothes tied around his neck, and thrown into a drain.The prosecution also argued that Hussain, being an MCD councillor and public servant at the time, had a duty to protect Sharma.Hussain’s lawyer, Rajiv Mohan, sought leniency, arguing that the death penalty could not be imposed in every murder case and that mitigating circumstances must be considered. He said Hussain had no specific role in the killing and that the prosecution had failed to prove conspiracy.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n