New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday acquitted former Congress Member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar in cases related to the alleged killing of two Sikhs, Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh, in Janakpuri, and another incident in Vikaspuri in which Gurcharan Singh was allegedly set on fire during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Special Judge Digvijay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Courts pronounced a brief order acquitting the 78-year-old leader.
The cases stemmed from incidents of violence that erupted after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
Several decades later, a Special Investigation Team was formed on the recommendation of the Justice G.P. Mathur Committee to reopen 114 riot-related cases.
In August 2023, the trial court framed charges against Sajjan Kumar under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, but dropped the murder charge under Section 302, which had earlier been invoked by the Special Investigation Team.
The trial concluded on September 23 last year, and the court reserved its verdict on December 22.
During the proceedings, Sajjan Kumar pleaded not guilty, asserting that he was innocent and could not have been involved in the alleged offences “even in his wildest dreams”. He maintained that there was no material evidence linking him to the incidents and claimed he was not present at the sites of violence.
On November 9, 2023, the court recorded the statement of victim Manjeet Kaur, who said she had heard from members of the mob that Sajjan Kumar was present during the violence, but clarified that she did not personally see him at the scene.
Sajjan Kumar, who was a sitting Member of Parliament at the time of the riots, has faced multiple allegations of instigating mobs to attack members of the Sikh community.
In a separate case, the Delhi High Court had earlier passed a strong verdict against him, noting that he had evaded justice for decades due to “political patronage”, and sentenced him to life imprisonment. His appeal against that conviction is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
With IANS inputs