India, Aug. 1 -- Rejecting the death penalty plea, the court says the case falls short of the rarest-of-rare threshold

A Delhi court on Friday sentenced former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and four others to life imprisonment for the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma in the 2020 Delhi riots.

The court observed that although case did not fall within the rarest-of-rare category warranting the death penalty, the "manner of the crime was of utmost brutality". The Delhi Police had sought death penalty for Tahir Hussain and four other accused. The judgment was pronounced in the presence of Hussain and others amid tight security.

Hussain's family was so present in the court. The courtroom was packed with lawyers and senior Delhi police offici...