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A special court on Tuesday sentenced former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots murder case. This verdict comes after decades of legal battles and demands for justice from the victims’ families.
Court Convicts Sajjan Kumar
The court found Sajjan Kumar guilty of murder on February 12 and requested a psychiatric and psychological evaluation report from Tihar Central Jail authorities. This request followed a Supreme Court order that mandates such reports in cases where capital punishment is a possibility. The minimum punishment for murder is life imprisonment, while the maximum is the death penalty.
Reactions to the Verdict
Following the announcement of the sentence, Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) general secretary Jagdip Singh Kahlon expressed disappointment, stating that life imprisonment was not sufficient punishment.
“We are upset that someone like Sajjan Kumar was not given the death penalty. I believe if he had been given a death sentence, it would have been better, and we would have felt satisfied…After 41 years, even if he got life imprisonment, justice has prevailed. I respect the verdict of the court,” ANI quoted Kahlon as saying.
Complainant Demands Maximum Punishment
The complainant in the case, who lost both her husband and son in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, had appealed for the death penalty for Kumar. The riots erupted following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by her Sikh bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. The assassination was in response to Operation Blue Star, a military operation in June 1984 aimed at removing Sikh militants, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Senior Advocate Argues for Harsher Punishment
Senior advocate HS Phoolka, representing the complainant, argued that Kumar played a leading role in inciting the mob and should receive the death penalty.
“The accused, as the leader of the mob, incited others to carry out genocide, crimes against humanity, and cold-blooded murders. He deserves nothing less than the death penalty,” PTI quoted Phoolka as saying.
Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh were killed on November 1, 1984, as part of the widespread violence.
Previous Conviction and Legal Proceedings
HS Phoolka pointed out that Sajjan Kumar had already been convicted by the Delhi High Court in another case related to the riots. He was found guilty of five murders in Delhi Cantonment’s Raj Nagar area. Phoolka argued that these killings, along with those in the present case, were part of a larger pattern of targeted violence and genocide.
The prosecution stated that a mob, armed with weapons, engaged in widespread looting, arson, and destruction of Sikh-owned properties as retaliation for Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The mob attacked the complainant’s home, killing her husband and son before setting the house on fire.
The Nanavati Commission’s Findings
The Nanavati Commission, set up to investigate the 1984 riots, reported that 587 FIRs were filed in Delhi, accounting for 2,733 deaths. Out of these cases, 240 were closed as “untraced,” while 250 resulted in acquittals. Only 28 cases led to convictions, with approximately 400 people being convicted, including 50 for murder—Sajjan Kumar among them.
Sajjan Kumar, a prominent Congress leader and Member of Parliament at the time, was also accused of leading mobs responsible for multiple killings in Delhi’s Palam Colony on November 1 and 2, 1984. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court for those crimes, and his appeal in that case remains pending before the Supreme Court.
