1984 riots: court to decide fate of Sajjan Kumar
The fate of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar would be decided today when a Delhi court is scheduled to pronounce its judgement in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which he and five others are accused.
The fate of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar would be decided on Tuesday when a Delhi court is scheduled to pronounce its judgement in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which he and five others are accused.
District Judge JR Aryan had reserved the judgement on April 16 after the counsel for the CBI and the accused concluded their final arguments in the case.
If convicted under section 302 of the IPC, the accused would have to face minimum sentence of life imprisonment and the maximum punishment would be death penalty.
Former Outer Delhi MP, Kumar is facing trial along with five others -- Balwan Khokkar, Kishan Khokkar, Mahender Yadav, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal -- for allegedly conspiring and inciting a mob against the Sikh community in Delhi Cantonment area here.
The case relates to anti-Sikh riots that had broken out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Indira Gandhi was shot dead by two of her bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi.
The present case deals with the death of five Sikhs -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- who were members of the same family and were killed by the mob in Delhi Cant's Raj Nagar area.
Deceased Kehar and Gurpreet were the husband and son respectively of complainant and eye witness Jagdish Kaur.
Raghuvender, Narender and Kuldeep were the brothers of Kaur and another witness Jagsher Singh.
The case against Kumar was registered in 2005 on a recommendation by Justice GT Nanavati Commission. CBI had filed two charge sheets against him and the other accused in January 2010.
The trial court had in May 2010 framed charges against Kumar and the five others under Sections 302 (murder), 395 (dacoity), 427 (mischief to cause damage to property), 153-A (promoting enmity between different communities), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and other provisions of the IPC.