LG approves Delhi government’s appeal in 1984 riots case

He approved the proposal by the home department to file a special leave petition in the top court after the Delhi high court dismissed its appeal

Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena has accorded sanction to the Delhi government to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the acquittal of 12 people in a case of murder related to 1984 anti-Sikh riots in west Delhi’s Nangloi, the LG office said in a statement on Saturday.

The case is among the 186 cases related to the riots for which the Supreme Court had on January 1, 2018 directed to constitute the Special Investigation Team for further investigation. (PTI)

The LG approved the proposal by the home department of the Delhi government to file a special leave petition in the top court after the Delhi high court dismissed its appeal on August 9, against a trial court order.

While dismissing the appeal by the home department, the high court said that there was no explanation for the inordinate delay of 27 years in filing the appeal against the trial court verdict of April 29, 1995, and grounds cited by the state were not justifiable.

According to official records, the incident took place on November 1, 1984 at Amar Colony, Nangloi where a group comprising the accused persons and their associates murdered eight eople and injured one other. An FIR was registered after the next of kin of the deceased appeared before the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission of Inquiry and submitted their affidavits.

According to the government proposal, the high court did not consider the merits of the case and instead dismissed the state’s appeal on the ground of inordinate delay.

It was also pointed out that the case is among the 186 cases related to the riots for which the Supreme Court had on January 1, 2018 directed to constitute the Special Investigation Team for further investigation.

“In compliance of above said order, a Special Investigation Team, comprising Justice (Retd.) S. N. Dhingra and Abhishek, IPS officer, was constituted to examine the matter related to 1984 anti Sikh riots cases vide notification dated 09.2.2018. The SIT submitted its report dated 15.4.2019 that present instance was a fit case where prosecution should have gone in appeal immediately after the judgment. Further, the committee recommended that an appeal with an application of condonation of delay may be filed,” the LG office said while granting the approval to home department’s proposal.

Last Wednesday, the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) held a virtual meeting with chief secretaries, home secretaries and minority department secretaries of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, J&K, and six states on action taken by them for granting compensation to the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.

The commission sought information from the 10 states and UTs in October 2021 on the matter and asked them to furnish updated status on compliance of orders of the home ministry for granting and relief to victims.