The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing of Sajjan Kumar and Balwan Khokhar’s pleas in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case to September 24. Kumar challenges his conviction while Khokhar seeks relief from his upheld life sentence.
New Delhi: On August 20, the Supreme Court has once again postponed the hearing of pleas filed by former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and the party’s ex-councillor Balwan Khokhar in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. The matter will now be heard on September 24, 2025.
A bench of Justices J K Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi deferred the matter on Wednesday since Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was not available for arguments.
This case is one of the most important matters related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which broke out in several parts of Delhi after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
The violence led to the killing of thousands of members of the Sikh community and large-scale destruction of property.
In July 2024, the apex court had asked the CBI to respond to the plea filed by Balwan Khokhar. Khokhar has been seeking reprieve from his sentence.
He was convicted for his role in the killings that took place in Raj Nagar Part-I of Palam Colony in southwest Delhi on November 1-2, 1984, where five Sikhs were murdered and a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part-II was set on fire.
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The legal history of the case has seen several major twists. In 2013, a trial court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar, but the Delhi High Court in 2018 reversed this acquittal and convicted him for his involvement in the riots.
The same year, the High Court also upheld the life sentence awarded to Khokhar. Both leaders have been behind bars since then, challenging the verdicts before the Supreme Court.
In his latest plea, Balwan Khokhar told the Supreme Court that the jail authorities had rejected his request for furlough on September 26, 2024, saying that
“his release would invite adverse repercussions and disturb peace and tranquillity in the society, prompting unrest.”
Khokhar also pointed out that he had already spent 8.7 years in jail and had filed a bail plea earlier. However, this plea was dismissed by the court on February 3, 2023. His counsel argued that his long incarceration, age, and health conditions should be considered.
On the other hand, Sajjan Kumar has been serving a life sentence after his conviction by the Delhi High Court. His plea in the Supreme Court is against the reversal of his acquittal by the trial court.
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