The Supreme Court is set to hear appeals in July 2024 from former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and ex-councillor Balwan Khokhar, challenging the sentences they received in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
The hearing, scheduled for July, follows pleas from both men against their convictions. A bench comprising Justice J K Maheshwari and Justice Aravind Kumar clarified on Monday that, if the hearing cannot proceed as planned, the petitioners would be allowed to request the suspension of their sentences.
The court also ordered that the trial court records be retrieved and made available to all parties involved.
Case History
In July 2024, the apex court had instructed the CBI to respond to Khokhar’s request for a reprieve. Khokhar had been sentenced to life imprisonment, a ruling upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2018. In the same case, the High Court reversed Kumar’s 2013 acquittal by the trial court. The case pertains to the murder of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar Part-I, Palam Colony, in southwest Delhi, and the arson of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part-II during the violence that erupted on November 1-2, 1984.
Khokhar’s plea argued that his application for release had been rejected by jail authorities on September 26, 2024, with the authorities citing concerns that his release could lead to unrest and disturb public peace. He also mentioned that he had filed an intervention application for bail after serving 8.7 years of his sentence, but it was dismissed on February 3, 2023.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots were sparked by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. This event led to widespread violence and killings of Sikhs across the national capital. The cases related to the riots have witnessed significant developments over the past four decades, with numerous twists and legal challenges continuing to unfold.
The upcoming hearings in July will be crucial in determining the fate of Kumar and Khokhar, both of whom have been at the center of one of India’s most contentious and tragic chapters of communal violence.
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