1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court acquits ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar

1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court acquits ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar

A Delhi court has acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The case was connected to violence in Janakpuri, where two people were killed, and Vikaspuri, where another individual was allegedly set ablaze.

Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh of Rouse Avenue Court announced the acquittal, saying the prosecution failed to prove Kumar's involvement in the violence.

Kumar's charges and ongoing imprisonment

In August 2023, Kumar was charged with rioting and promoting enmity but was discharged from murder and criminal conspiracy charges.

The case stemmed from two FIRs registered by a special investigation team in February 2015.

One FIR pertained to the killings of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh in Janakpuri on November 1, 1984.

The second FIR related to the incident where Gurcharan Singh was allegedly set ablaze in Vikaspuri on November 2, 1984.

Kumar's life sentence in separate case

Kumar is currently serving a life sentence for his role in the killings of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984.

The trial court had ruled that while these were serious offenses, they did not warrant the death penalty.

The 1984 riots broke out in the aftermath of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984 and resulted in the deaths of at least 2,800 persons in Delhi alone.

Kumar's earlier convictions and ongoing appeal

In December 2018, the Delhi High Court sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment for rioting in Palam Colony after the assassination. His appeal against this conviction is pending before the Supreme Court.

The Nanavati Commission report on the 1984 riots revealed 587 FIRs were filed in Delhi.

Only 28 FIRs resulted in convictions, with around 400 people convicted of various offenses related to these riots.