A Delhi court on Thursday (January 22) acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case linked to the alleged incitement of violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas of the national capital during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh orally pronounced the acquittal, while a detailed, reasoned order is yet to be released.
At least two people were killed on November 1, 1984, in the violence in Janakpuri.
What did Sajjan Kumar say in his defence?
In his defence, Kumar maintained that he was innocent and had no involvement in the case. He told the court that he was never part of the incident and could not have been involved "even in his dreams." Kumar further asserted that there was not a single piece of evidence on record to prove the allegations against him.
Kumar's lawyer said the former Congress leader was acquitted in the case as the prosecution failed to establish his presence at the spot of the alleged incident. The lawyer argued that Kumar's name was added to the case after a gap of 36 years, weakening the credibility of the charges.
Anil Kumar Sharma, Counsel for former MP Sajjan Kumar, said, "The court has acquitted him as no allegations against him could be proved in the Vikaspuri and Janakpuri cases. We had told the court that he was targeted, as his presence could not be proved. No witness had ever named him till now, but only now, after 32 years. We are thankful to the judiciary for acquitting him."
We haven't received justice: Victims' families
Families of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots broke down after a Delhi court acquitted former Congress M, saying justice had once again eluded them.
"We haven’t received justice. We lost our husbands, fathers, and brothers. Ten members of my family were killed," a grieving family member said, struggling to hold back tears.
Expressing anger and anguish, the victim's kin said Kumar deserved to be hanged. "We have been fighting for the last 40 years. We will not stop. We will approach the High Court," they said, reiterating their resolve to seek justice despite the setback.
Anti-Sikh riots victim's family member said," I lost 10 members of my family. Why is Sajjan Kumar not hanged till death?.. We will approach the Supreme Court."
Janakpuri, Vikaspuri violence case
In August 2023, a Delhi court had framed charges against Kumar for rioting and promoting enmity in connection with incidents in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas, while discharging him of charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in those cases.
The cases stem from two FIRs registered in February 2015 by a Special Investigation Team. The first FIR related to violence in Janakpuri, where Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh were killed on November 1, 1984. The second pertained to the killing of Gurcharan Singh, who was allegedly set on fire a day later, on November 2, 1984, in Vikaspuri.
Despite today's acquittal in one case, Kumar remains lodged in jail. On February 25 last year, a trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment for the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh during the riots in Delhi's Saraswati Vihar area on November 1, 1984. The court ruled that while the murders involved "two innocent persons," the case did not fall under the "rarest of rare" category to warrant the death penalty.
According to a report of the Nanavati Commission -- constituted to probe the violence and its aftermath -- there were 587 FIRs filed in Delhi in relation to the riots that saw killings of 2,733 people. Of the total, about 240 FIRs were closed by police as "untraced", and 250 cases resulted in acquittal.
Of the 587 FIRs, only 28 resulted in convictions, in which about 400 people were convicted. About 50 people, including the former MP, were convicted of murder.
Kumar, an influential Congress leader and an MP at the time, was accused in a case related to the killing of five people in Delhi's Palam Colony on November 1 and 2, 1984.
He was awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in the case, and his appeal challenging the punishment is pending before the Supreme Court.
