Tuesday, December 23, 2025
ADVT 
India

1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Another HC Judge Recuses From Hearing Plea Against Sajjan Kumar

IANS, 13 Jul, 2017 01:24 PM
    A second Delhi High Court judge on Thursday recused himself from hearing Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
     
    Earlier, a Judge on Monday recused to hear a plea seeking cancellation of anticipatory bail granted by the trial court to Sajjan Kumar in the case.
     
     
    Now, the case has gone to a third Judge in the Delhi High Court and will be heard on July 19.
     
     
    The Special Investigation Team (SIT) had approached the court seeking cancellation of the anticipatory bail granted by the trial court to Kumar.
     
     
    On June 10, the first Delhi High Court Judge recused himself from hearing Kumar's bail cancellation plea in connection with the riots, as the appearing advocate was his relative.
     
     
    Earlier in April, the Delhi High Court had re-opened five cases in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that were closed in 1986.
     
     
    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also filed appeals against the acquittal of Kumar and light sentence to ex-councillor Balwan Khokar.
     
     
     
     
     The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance as during course of the arguments Kumar's lawyers mentioned these matters as precedents since co-accused Mahender Yadav, Balwan Khokar and Kishan Khokar had been acquitted in them.
     
     
    The court noted that eyewitnesses had not been examined in those cases and there was a "travesty" since investigation was not done properly.
     
     
    The court took suo motu cognisance of the "errors" in the 1986 trial judgment, adding that key eyewitnesses were not examined and cases were closed "very rapidly" seemingly without proper investigation and trial.
     
     
    The Bench passed this order after taking note of the trial court judgments passed in 1986 in the five cases.
     
     
    The apex court had also directed the Centre to deposit more than 190 files in connection with this case.
     
     
    Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the apex court that the SIT in as many as 263 cases had no case files and there was no trace of any victim or witness.
     
     
    On February 20, the Centre filed a status report in the top court on the investigation conducted by the SIT into anti-Sikh riots cases.
     
     
     
     
    Anti-Sikh riots that broke out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi had claimed 2,433 lives in Delhi alone. 

    MORE India ARTICLES

    54 Hours Later, 6-Year-Old Trapped In Karnataka Borewell Found Dead

    54 Hours Later, 6-Year-Old Trapped In Karnataka Borewell Found Dead
    A minor girl trapped in a dry borewell for nearly 54 hours was found dead on Monday night at a village in Karnataka's Belagavi district, said a rescue team official early Tuesday.

    54 Hours Later, 6-Year-Old Trapped In Karnataka Borewell Found Dead

    Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan Visits Western Naval Command

    Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan Visits Western Naval Command
    Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan on Saturday visited the Western Naval Command here as part of his ongoing tour of India.

    Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan Visits Western Naval Command

    In One Of The Deadliest Attacks, Maoists Massacre 25 CRPF Troopers In Chhattisgarh

    In One Of The Deadliest Attacks, Maoists Massacre 25 CRPF Troopers In Chhattisgarh
     In one of the deadliest attacks, 300 to 400 heavily armed Maoists, women included, ambushed a CRPF contingent in a forested patch in Chhattisgarh on Monday, killing 25 troopers and escaping with their AK-47 assault rifles.

    In One Of The Deadliest Attacks, Maoists Massacre 25 CRPF Troopers In Chhattisgarh

    Surrey Celebrates Vaisakhi: Thousands Turn Out To Participate In The Biggest Vaisakhi Parade

    Surrey Celebrates Vaisakhi: Thousands Turn Out To Participate In The Biggest Vaisakhi Parade
    Vaisakhi, the harvest festival, was celebrated in Surrey April 22, with much delight and elation. Individuals came out in droves to attend the Nagar Kirtan procession and celebrate the festival which commemorates the birth of the Khalsa and also marks the New Year for Sikhs. 

    Surrey Celebrates Vaisakhi: Thousands Turn Out To Participate In The Biggest Vaisakhi Parade

    NRI Husbands Left These Punjabi Brides, Never To Return

    NRI Husbands Left These Punjabi Brides, Never To Return
    Punjab women commission chairperson Paramjit Kaur Landran admits that abandoned wives can “grow old” fighting such cases. 

    NRI Husbands Left These Punjabi Brides, Never To Return

    Sushma Swaraj Agrees To Punjab Demand For New Passport Office

    Sushma Swaraj Agrees To Punjab Demand For New Passport Office
    The Centre has acceded to the Punjab government's request to open a passport office in Nawanshahr town and also look into the issue of blacklisted Sikh youths settled abroad, official sources said.

    Sushma Swaraj Agrees To Punjab Demand For New Passport Office