Today, On 13th May, The High Court set a hearing date in July to review the challenge against Sajjan Kumar’s acquittal in the 1984 riots case. This decision comes after ongoing legal efforts to reassess the verdict in light of new evidence and testimonies. The hearing marks a significant step towards potential justice and closure for the victims and their families affected by the tragic events of that time.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court scheduled a hearing for July 22 to consider the pleas challenging the acquittal of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the killing of an individual during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, leading the bench, addressed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Sheela Kaur, a witness, and observed that despite a prior order, the trial court records had not yet been requisitioned. The court instructed the registry to comply with the directive.
The bench, including Justice Manoj Jain, said,
“Despite the order of March 15, 2024, this court has yet to receive the e-TCR (trial court record). The registry is instructed once more to obtain the e-TCR within two weeks from today, and it must be provided to counsel representing the parties within a week thereafter. Failure to comply will result in the concerned registrar being required to appear in court on the next hearing date.”
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was acquitted in the case on September 20, 2023, by Special Judge Geetanjali Goel, who granted him the “benefit of doubt” due to the prosecution’s failure to establish the charges against him beyond reasonable doubt.
The trial court also acquitted two other accused individuals, Ved Prakash Pial and Brahmanand Gupta, as the prosecution could not prove the charges of murder and rioting against them. The incident in Sultanpuri resulted in the death of Surjit Singh, a Sikh man. Kumar faced accusations of various offenses under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including promoting enmity between different religious and ethnic groups (Section 153A), abetment of any offense (Section 109), murder (Section 302), and rioting (Section 147).
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The riots erupted following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Currently, Kumar serving his sentence in Tihar jail after being convicted in another case related to the riots.
The case, stemming from the violent events of 1984, has been a focal point of significant legal and public attention, seeking justice for the victims and scrutinizing the legal outcomes for those accused. The upcoming session in July expected to delve into detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the defence, reassessing the evidence that was presented in the original trial.
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