Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has been sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in Delhi. Special Judge Kaveri Baveja of Rouse Avenue Court delivered the verdict after 2 PM.
This case pertains to the murder of Jaswant Singh and his son, Tarundeep Singh, in Saraswati Vihar, Delhi, during the riots. At the time, Sajjan Kumar was serving as an MP for the Outer Delhi Lok Sabha seat. The victims' family had requested the death penalty for him.
Sajjan Kumar was initially convicted on February 12. The court had reserved its decision on the sentencing. He is currently incarcerated in Tihar Jail for another case related to the riots, where he is also serving a life sentence.
Charges against Sajjan Kumar were filed under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 147, 149, 148, 302, 308, 323, 395, 397, 427, 436, and 440, which encompass rioting, murder, and robbery.
Sajjan Kumar faced three cases
In total, Kumar faced three cases. He was acquitted in one and convicted in two. Following the murder of five Sikhs in Palam Colony, Delhi Cantt, a Gurudwara was set on fire, and Sajjan Kumar was found guilty in that case. The Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment on December 17, 2018.
In September 2023, the Rouse Avenue Court acquitted him in the murder case of three Sikhs in Sultanpuri, Delhi. Cham Kaur, a key witness for the CBI during the riots, alleged that Sajjan Kumar had incited the mob.
On November 1, 1984, Sardar Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh were brutally killed in Saraswati Vihar. The rioters attacked them with iron rods and sticks, ultimately burning both victims alive. Sajjan Kumar was convicted on February 12, 2025, and sentenced to life imprisonment on February 25.
The riots erupted following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, leading to widespread violence in Sikh-dominated areas, resulting in the deaths of thousands.
The Delhi government plans to appeal against the acquittal of the accused. According to the Nanavati Commission report, which investigated the Sikh riots, 587 cases were registered in Delhi alone, resulting in 2,733 deaths. Of these cases, approximately 240 were closed, and acquittals were granted in 250 cases.
Prakash Kumar Pandey
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