New Delhi

A Delhi court on Tuesday awarded a life sentence to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in connection with the killing of a father-son duo in the Saraswati Vihar area on 1 November 1984, during the anti-Sikh riots.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja pronounced the decision on the quantum of the sentence after convicting Sajjan Kumar of murder charges on 18 February.

This case pertains to the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in the Saraswati Vihar area during the riots.

Earlier on 31 January, the Rouse Avenue Court reserved its verdict after hearing additional submissions from Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat.

On the other hand, Advocate Anil Sharma argued that Sajjan Kumar's name did not appear from the outset, and there was a 16-year delay in naming him as an accused by the witness.

It was also submitted that a case in which Sajjan Kumar was convicted by the Delhi High Court is pending appeal before the Supreme Court.

Additional Public Prosecutor Rawat, in rebuttal, submitted that the accused was not known to the victim. When she became aware of who Sajjan Kumar was, she named him in her statement.

Earlier, senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, appearing for the riot victims, argued that police investigations were manipulated in the Sikh riot cases. He claimed that the police investigation was sluggish and aimed at protecting the accused.

It was also argued that the riots created an extraordinary situation, and therefore, these cases must be viewed in that context.

During the arguments, Phoolka referred to the Delhi High Court's judgement and submitted that this was not an isolated case but part of a larger massacre.

It was further argued that, according to official figures, 2,700 Sikhs were killed in Delhi in 1984. Senior advocate Phoolka referred to the Delhi High Court's judgement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot case of Delhi Cantt, in which the court described the riots as a "crime against humanity".

Initially, an FIR was registered at Punjabi Bagh police station. Later, the case was probed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted on the recommendation of the Justice G.P. Mathur Committee, and a charge sheet was filed.

The Justice Mathur Committee had recommended the reopening of 114 cases, with this case being one of them.

On 16 December 2021, the court framed charges against Sajjan Kumar for offences punishable under Sections 147, 148, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as Sections 302, 308, 323, 395, 397, 427, 436, and 440 read with Section 149 IPC.

The SIT alleged that the accused led the mob and, upon his instigation and abetment, the mob burnt alive the two victims, looted and destroyed their property, set fire to their house, and inflicted severe injuries on their family members and relatives.

During the investigation, witnesses were traced, examined, and their statements recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC.

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The complainant’s statement under the above provision was recorded on 23 November 2016 during further investigation, in which she again narrated the incident of looting, arson, and the murders of her husband and son by the mob armed with deadly weapons. She also described the injuries she and other victims, including her sister-in-law, sustained. Her sister-in-law was said to have subsequently passed away.

She also clarified in that statement that she had seen the accused’s photograph in a magazine about one-and-a-half months later.