New Delhi- A Delhi court on Tuesday awarded life imprisonment to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a murder case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Special judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the judgement for the alleged killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984.
The complainant, wife of Jaswant, and the prosecution had sought death penalty for Kumar.
The offence of murder carried a maximum punishment of death penalty, while the minimum sentence was life imprisonment.
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.
Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar jail.
Though Punjabi Bagh Police Station registered the case, a special investigation team took over the investigation much later.
The prosecution alleged 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, wife of Jaswant, killing the men aside from looting articles and setting their house ablaze, the prosecution claimed.
A timeline of events
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was on Tuesday awarded life-term imprisonment in connection with the murders of two persons during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984. Here’s a timeline of events leading to the case’s conclusion.
*1991: FIR lodged in the case.
*Jul 8, 1994: Delhi court finds no sufficient evidence to initiate prosecution. Kumar not chargesheeted in the case.
*Feb 12, 2015: Govt forms special investigation team (SIT).
*Nov 21, 2016: SIT tells court case requires further probe.
*Apr 6, 2021: Kumar is arrested.
*May 5, 2021: Police files chargesheet.
*Jul 26: Court takes cognisance of chargesheet.
*Oct 1: Court begins hearing arguments on charge.
*Dec 16: Court frames charges of murder, rioting, other offences.
*Jan 31, 2024: Court begins hearing final arguments.
*Nov 8: Court reserves verdict.
*Feb 12, 2025: Court convicts Kumar.
*Feb 25: Kumar gets life-term imprisonment.
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 killings of 2,733 people. Of the total, about 240 FIRs were closed by police as “untraced” and 250 cases resulted in acquittal.
Only 28 cases of 587 FIRs resulted in convictions, in which about 400 persons were convicted. About 50 were convicted for murder, including Kumar.
Kumar, an influential Congress leader and an MP at the time, was also accused in a case over the killings of five persons in Delhi’s Palam Colony on November 1 and 2 in 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.
Another appeal is pending before Delhi High Court against Kumar’s acquittal acquittal by a trial court, while a Delhi court is currently conducting trial in the fourth case.
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