Delhi Court Adjourn Interim Bail Hearing for Riot Accused

New Delhi — Delhi police on Monday opposed a plea by Tahir Hussain, accused in the 2020 riots, for interim bail to file nomination papers for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Hussain, fielded by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) from the Mustafabad constituency, seeks interim release to file his nomination papers in person.

The Delhi High Court bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna heard arguments from both sides. Hussain’s lawyer argued that his client needed to physically file the nomination papers and provide a true account of his assets. The lawyer cited the example of Engineer Rashid, accused in a terror funding case, who was granted interim bail.

The bench, however, noted that filing nominations from jail is possible and adjourned the hearing until Tuesday. The court will also hear Hussain’s plea for regular bail on Tuesday.

Hussain is accused in the murder of Intelligence Bureau officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 North-East Delhi riots. The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the city police on Dec. 24 regarding his bail plea, ordering a status report to be filed before the next hearing on Jan. 14.

The AIMIM’s decision to field Hussain has drawn criticism from the BJP, which accused the party of acting as the “B-team” of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and warned of potential communal unrest. BJP State Vice President Kapil Mishra accused Owaisi and other “secular parties” of provoking Hindus in Delhi by fielding Hussain, warning of consequences if any attempt was made to incite riots.

AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan defended the party’s decision, stating that Hussain and the other candidate, Shafaur Rahman, are undertrial prisoners and innocent until proven guilty. Pathan countered the BJP’s accusations, pointing out that the BJP had given a ticket to Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, and asked what critics would say if Hussain and Rahman were acquitted.