The Supreme Court will hear Delhi Police’s pleas challenging acquittals in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on August 26. A related plea seeks action on the Dhingra Committee’s findings of “sham trials.”
New Delhi: Today, on July 21, the Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear six Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) filed by the Delhi Police that challenge the acquittal of certain individuals in cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. These cases will be taken up for hearing on August 26 by a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta.
Along with these SLPs, the Court will also hear a writ petition filed by S. Gurlad Singh Kahlon, a former member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC). Kahlon’s petition demands the implementation of the recommendations made by the Justice S.N. Dhingra Committee.
This Committee was set up by the Supreme Court in 2018 to examine the status of investigations in various cases related to the 1984 riots.
The Committee submitted its report in January 2020 and highlighted serious lapses in the investigation process.
It noted that several trials were mishandled and had recommended that appeals should be filed against certain acquittals.
During the proceedings, the lawyer appearing for Kahlon reminded the Supreme Court that in February 2018, the Apex Court had appointed a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to re-investigate the pending cases related to the riots.
He mentioned that the findings of the SIT revealed how poorly the trials were conducted in several cases.
He requested the Court to permit him to submit the SIT’s observations, saying that the investigation had shown “sham trials” were conducted.
Justice Vikram Nath responded by saying,
“These matters will require some time,”
and decided to post the hearing for a detailed discussion on a Tuesday.
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Representing the Delhi Police, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati informed the Court that six SLPs had been filed by the police. These petitions were filed after the Delhi High Court had dismissed earlier writ petitions, not on merits but purely due to delay.
Bhati told the Court, “These are very old cases dating back to 1984,” and she requested the Court to take up all the cases together to ensure consistency and justice.
She also pointed out that, as per the Court’s earlier order passed on May 6, soft copies of the pleadings were supposed to be shared with all parties, but this had not yet been done.
The Supreme Court had previously directed,
“Call for the soft copy of the record of the trial court. Registrar to provide the soft copy to counsel appearing for the parties. We direct the petitioner to place on record a compilation of notes of evidence. Notice is made returnable on the 21st of July.”
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots had erupted following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. In the aftermath, thousands of members of the Sikh community were attacked and killed in different parts of India, particularly in Delhi.
The violence remains one of the darkest chapters in India’s history, and justice in many cases is still being sought even after four decades.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had also directed the Delhi Police to file all pending SLPs related to acquittals in these riot cases.
The recent hearing and the petitions are a significant step toward re-examining the lapses that occurred during the original trials and ensuring that justice is served to the victims and their families.
The Supreme Court’s decision to list the matters for August 26 reflects its willingness to give serious attention to the long-standing demand for justice in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases.
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