Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment Today (Feb 25 for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case involving two murders in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar. Here’s a timeline of events leading to the case’s conclusion.
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NEW DELHI: Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar Today (Feb 25) awarded life-term imprisonment in connection with the murders of two persons during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.
Following is the timeline of events leading to the conviction of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the murders of two persons in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar during 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
1991: FIR lodged in the case.
July 8, 1994: Delhi court finds no sufficient evidence to initiate prosecution. Kumar was not chargesheeted in the case.
February 12, 2015: Government forms SIT.
November 21, 2016: SIT informs court that case requires further probe.
April 6, 2021: Kumar is arrested.
May 5, 2021: Cops file chargesheet.
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July 26: Court takes cognisance of chargesheet.
October 1: Court starts hearing arguments on charge.
December 16: Court frames charges of murder, rioting, other offences.
January 31, 2024: Court starts hearing final arguments.
November 8: Court reserves verdict.
February 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.
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has been convicted by a Delhi court in connection with the murder of two people in the Saraswati Vihar area during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The case has a long history, beginning in 1991 when an FIR was first lodged. However, on July 8, 1994, a Delhi court ruled that there was not enough evidence to proceed, and Sajjan Kumar was not even chargesheeted at that time.
Years later, on February 12, 2015, the government decided to take another look at the case and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT). After further investigation, on November 21, 2016, the SIT informed the court that the case needed more probing. This eventually led to Sajjan Kumar’s arrest on April 6, 2021.
Following his arrest, the police moved quickly, and by May 5, 2021, they had filed a chargesheet in the case. Soon after, on July 26, the court took cognizance of the chargesheet, meaning it officially acknowledged that there was enough material to proceed with the case.
As the legal process moved forward, on October 1, 2021, the court began hearing arguments on whether there was enough evidence to formally charge Kumar. Finally, on December 16, 2021, the court framed charges against him, including serious offences such as murder and rioting.
Case Title: Sajjan Kumar v. State; Balwan Khokhar v. Central Bureau of Investigation [Crl.A. No. 1642/2018 & Crl.A. No. 1665-1666/2019]
After more than two years of legal proceedings, on January 31, 2024, the court started hearing final arguments in the case. Several months later, on November 8, 2024, the court reserved its verdict, meaning it had heard all arguments and needed time to decide.
Then, on February 12, 2025, the court finally delivered its judgment, convicting Sajjan Kumar for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case related to the killings in Saraswati Vihar.
Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar today was awarded life-term imprisonment in connection with the murders of two persons during the anti-Sikh riots in 1984.
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