The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, 12 July, granted bail to former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in five cases related to the Delhi riots of 2020.
However, despite this, Hussain will continue to be behind bars because of the other First Information Reports (FIRs) filed against him. These include the UAPA case, which alleges his involvement in a broader conspiracy to incite the riots.
Tahir Hussain faces a total of 11 FIRs in connection with the 2020 riots, with the UAPA case specifically accusing him and others of orchestrating a "larger conspiracy" behind the riots.
Additionally, the Enforcement Directorate registered an Economic Case Information Report (ECIR) against Tahir Hussain.
A trial court framed charges against him in the money laundering case in November last year. Tahir Hussain challenged the order framing charges, but both the High Court and Supreme Court dismissed his challenge.
In the 5 FIRs in which he has gotten bail, Hussain faced multiple charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including attempt to murder, rioting, mischief by fire, and criminal conspiracy.
Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid represented Hussain and contended that all the co-accused in the case had been granted bail, while his client had remained in jail for the past three years as the sole person incarcerated.
Khurshid further argued that Hussain was not initially mentioned in the witness statements and that no specific acts were attributed to him.
Pulastya Pramachala, an Additional Sessions Judge at the Karkardooma court, had framed murder charges against Hussain in March this year. This charge was related to the demise of Ankit Sharma, an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, whose body was discovered in a drain amidst the Delhi Riots of 2020.
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