In a major decision, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi acquitted Congress leader and former member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar and other accused in a case related to the Sultanpuri area incident during the 1984 anti-Sikh riot on 20 September. This case concerned the reported murder of three Sikhs.
Case related to Sultanpuri area incident during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots | Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court acquits Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and other accused in the matter. This case was related to the alleged murder of three Sikhs.
— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2023
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Notably, the Congressman has not yet received dismissals in all of the counts, and tomorrow is scheduled for the pronouncement of additional verdicts in the matter.
Last month, the court mandated the filing of charges against imprisoned Congressman Sajjan Kumar in connection with two cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The Janakpuri case which included the murders of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh on 1 November 1984 involved the framing of accusations by the court. A second case which pertained to the burning of Gurcharan Singh on 2 November 1984 was reported to the Vikaspuri police station.
The court imposed the filing of charges against him under sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 148 (Rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (offence is committed by any member of unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly), 153 (promoting enmity between different groups), 295 (Injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class), 307 (attempt of murder), 308 (Attempt to commit culpable homicide), 323 (deals with punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 395 (Punishment for Decoity) and 426 (Punishment for mischief) etc. of the Indian Penal Code.
However, the court ordered to discharge him of the violation of the Indian Penal Code sections 302 and 325, which deal with the punishment for murder and serious bodily harm, respectively.
His acquittal by the Karkardooma District Court in Delhi in April 2013 sparked huge demonstrations. The Central Bureau of Investigation filed an appeal against his prior acquittal in the Delhi High Court in August of the same year. The court granted him a life sentence on 17 December 2018.
The Congress stalwart was accused of killing a man and his son in Saraswati Vihar, West Delhi. Jaswant Singh and Tarun Deep Singh were burned alive on 1 November 1984, in Raj Nagar, by a crowd of 1,000 people. According to the prosecution, people set the two men on fire, damaged, destroyed, looted and severely wounded the family members and relatives of the deceased on the incitement and abetment of Sajjan Kumar.
Sajjan Kumar is one of the many senior Congress politicians including Jagdish Tytler and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath who are accused of taking an active part in the anti-Sikh carnage that was carried out in 1984 after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
He was awarded a ticket by Congress to participate in elections in 1991 despite serious allegations against him and he managed to secure a win. Furthermore, he received the greatest number of votes (8,55,543) in the 2004 general elections when running on the congress ticket from the Outer Delhi seat. The Sanjay Gandhi loyalist served as a member of the Committee on Urban Development and the Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme in 2005.
