1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi court awards lifer to ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar

1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar gets life-term imprisonment for father-son duo’s murder

A Delhi trial court on Tuesday awarded life-term imprisonment to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a murder case connected to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Special judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the judgment for the murders of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984. Sajjan Kumar has been languishing in Tihar jail for the past 5 years, in another case of 1984 riots, facing conviction of life sentence.

The court on February 12 convicted Kumar for the offence and sought a report from Tihar Central Jail on his psychiatric and psychological evaluation in view of a Supreme Court order asking for such a report in cases attracting capital punishment. The offence of murder attracts a maximum punishment of the death penalty, while the minimum sentence is life imprisonment.

The complainant, Jaswant’s wife, and the prosecution had sought maximum punishment for Kumar.

Though Punjabi Bagh police station registered the case initially, a special investigation team later took over the investigation. On December 16, 2021, the court framed charges against Kumar, finding a “prima facie” case against him.

According to the prosecution, a huge mob, armed with deadly weapons, resorted to large-scale looting, arson, and destruction of properties of Sikhs to avenge the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The mob attacked the house of the complainant, who is Jaswant’s wife, killing the men aside from looting articles and setting their house ablaze, the prosecution claimed.

Sajjan Kumar was put on trial after the court found sufficient material to form a “prima facie opinion that he was not only a participant, but had also led the mob”. According to a report of the Nanavati Commission, constituted to probe the violence and its aftermath, there were 587 FIRs filed in Delhi in relation to the riots that saw the killings of 2,733 people. Of the total, about 240 FIRs were closed by police as “untraced” and 250 cases resulted in acquittal.

Of the 587 FIRs, only 28 cases resulted in punishments with about 400 persons being convicted. About 50, including Kumar, were convicted for murder. Sajjan Kumar, an influential Congress leader of Delhi and an MP at the time, was accused in a case over the killings of five persons in Delhi’s Palam Colony on November 1 and 2 1984. He was awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in the case and his appeal challenging the punishment is pending before the Supreme Court. Two appeals are pending before the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court against Kumar’s acquittal and life imprisonment, respectively.

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