The North News

New Delhi, February 21

A court in New Delhi on Friday reserved for February 25 its order on the quantum of sentence for former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.  The prosecution has sought the death penalty for Kumar, convicted for the murders of a father and son in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar area.

Sajjan Kumar, already serving a life sentence in another riot-related case, was convicted on February 12 for his role in the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Prosecutors argued he led the mob that set fire to the victims’ home, looted property, and assaulted family members, resulting in another death.

The case, initially filed at Punjabi Bagh police station, was reopened after recommendations from the Justice G.P. Mathur Committee. Kumar was charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder and rioting.

Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, representing the victims, cited a Delhi High Court ruling that termed the 1984 riots “a crime against humanity.” Kumar’s defense, however, challenged the evidence, citing delays in witness identification and his pending Supreme Court appeal in a separate case.