Arguments on quantum of sentence slated for Feb 18

NEW DELHI (TIP): A Delhi court on Wednesday, February 12, held former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar guilty of murder in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in connection with the murder of two persons in the Saraswati Vihar area of the national capital.

“In the light of… the evidence on record considered in its totality, I am of the opinion that the prosecution has been able to prove its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. Thus, accused Sajjan… is hereby convicted of offences punishable under Sections 147, 148 and 149 of the IPC and for offences punishable under Sections 302, 308, 323, 395, 397, 427, 436 and 440 read with Section 149 of the IPC,” Special Judge Kaveri Baweja said.

Also convicted of dacoity
Besides murder, Sajjan (79) has also been convicted of rioting, dacoity, attempting to cause death, committing culpable homicide and burning the victim’s house as a member of an unlawful assembly
Sajjan is already serving life term in another anti-Sikh riots case and the SC has refused to grant him bail
Besides murder, Sajjan has also been convicted of rioting, dacoity, attempting to cause death or grievous hurt, committing culpable homicide and burning the victim’s house as a member of an unlawful assembly.

“It has further been established that Sajjan, being a member of such unlawful assembly, is guilty of having committed the murder of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh, the husband and son of complainant PW-13, during the incident of rioting on November 1, 1984,” Baweja said in her 139-page order.

The Special Judge posted the matter for hearing arguments on the quantum of the punishment to be awarded to the convict on February 18.

“Whatever time it might have taken, it’s important to punish the perpetrators of such heinous crime to uphold the rule of law,” senior advocate HS Phoolka told The Tribune, welcoming the order convicting the former Congress MP.

Sajjan (79) is already serving life imprisonment in another anti-Sikh riots case and the Supreme Court has refused to grant him bail. He has been in jail since December 31, 2018, when he surrendered after being convicted and awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in a case relating to the anti-Sikh riots in the Raj Nagar (Part I) area in Palam Colony of South West Delhi in which five Sikhs were killed on November 1 and 2, 1984, and a gurdwara was burnt down in Raj Nagar (Part II). His appeal against conviction and sentence order of the high court is pending in the Supreme Court.

On September 20, 2023, Special Judge Geetanjli Goel had acquitted Sajjan in a case related to the murder of a person during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the Sultanpuri area of the national capital, giving him “the benefit of the doubt”. The state’s appeal against his acquittal is pending in the Delhi High Court.

The fourth case against Sajjan in connection with a culpable homicide in the Janakpuri area during the 1984 riots is listed before Special Judge Baweja for evidence on February 18.

This is the second conviction in a case reopened on the recommendations of a special investigation team (SIT) set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015 to reinvestigate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases.

Following the SIT’s recommendations, the complainant in the case recorded her statement on November 23, 2016, leading to Sajjan’s arrest in the case on April 6, 2021, while he was serving a life term in Tihar Jail in another 1984 riots case.

In 2018, one accused was given the death penalty and another life imprisonment in connection with the murder of three persons in the Mahipalpur area during the 1984 riots. The convicts’ appeal is pending before the Delhi High Court.

Around 3,000 people, mostly Sikhs, were killed in the anti-Sikh riots that broke out following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, by her two Sikh bodyguards.

The case relates to the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984. The Punjabi Bagh police registered the case and the probe was subsequently taken over by a special investigation team.

After hearing additional submissions made by public prosecutor Manish Rawat, Special Judge Baweja had on January 31 reserved the verdict. On December 16, 2021, the court framed charges against Sajjan, finding a “prima facie” case against him.