SC Seeks CBI’s Response On Ex-Councillor’s Plea To Suspend Sentence In 1984 Riots Case

The Supreme Court has called for a response from the CBI regarding a petition filed by Balwan Khokhar, a former Congress councillor serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Khokhar has requested the suspension of his sentence while serving his term.

A bench consisting of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Rajesh Bindal instructed Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to obtain reports from jail authorities concerning Khokhar’s behavior and conduct during his incarceration. Bhati informed the court that Khokhar’s previous bail applications had been rejected on three separate occasions.

In addition to Khokhar, former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar is also serving a life sentence in relation to the riots. Another convicted individual, ex-MLA Mahender Yadav, who had been sentenced to 10 years, passed away due to COVID-19 while imprisoned in Mandoli jail.

Kumar and Khokhar have been incarcerated in Tihar Jail since their convictions on December 17, 2018.

The Delhi High Court upheld Khokhar’s conviction in 2018, while also overturning Kumar’s earlier acquittal by the trial court in 2013.

The case pertains to the brutal killings of five Sikhs in Raj Nagar Part-I, Palam Colony, southwest Delhi, on November 1-2, 1984, and the subsequent destruction of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part-II. These acts of violence erupted in the aftermath of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

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