Thirty-four years after the gruesome killings, the Delhi High Court on Monday convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in an anti-Sikh riot case of 1984 here and sentenced him to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, holding that the violence was a "crime against humanity" engineered by politicians with assistance from police.
Setting aside the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar, the court convicted him and five others saying that the "criminals" had escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades.
"This court is of the view that the mass killings of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in November 1984 were in fact 'crimes against humanity'. They will continue to shock the collective conscience of society for a long time to come," a bench of Justice S. Muralidhar and Justice Vinod Goel said.
Everyone please read - who represented #SajjanKumar in court today...
— Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 17, 2018
It’s AMIT SIBAL
S/o @KapilSibal
“Political Patronage” Explained pic.twitter.com/8UFSmJPNzW
Justice so shamefully delayed but finally not denied. One of the biggest blots on our history #SajjanKumar #1984riotsverdict https://t.co/BBf1m7S9S1
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) December 17, 2018
Sajjan Kumar, 73, was asked to surrender by December 31 and directed not to leave Delhi.
One day I walked into my edit room to find my assistant sobbing uncontrollably. His father, mother and sister were brutally killed, the father being burnt alive in front of the family. In brutal anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. Justice delayed but finally not denied #SajjanKumar
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) December 17, 2018
"In the summer of 1947, during partition, this country witnessed horrific mass crimes where several lakhs of civilians, including Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus, were massacred," the bench said.
"Thirty-seven years later, the country was again witness to another enormous human tragedy. Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, on October 31, 1984, by two of her Sikh bodyguards, a communal frenzy was unleashed.
#AAP, Jarnail Singh: We got to know that Congress leader Salman Khurshid spoke of challenging the Delhi High Court's decision on #SajjanKumar. It's a matter of extreme shame that instead of expelling him from the party, he is speaking of challenging the decision. pic.twitter.com/6Hvgu4seFt
— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018
1984 anti-Sikh pogrom was a massacre in which @INCIndia covered itself with pure shame, police looked away, "leaders" were seen instigating mobs. Manmohan Singh has apologised now Cong must immediately sack #SajjanKumar
— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) December 17, 2018
"For four days between November 1 to November 4, all over Delhi, 2,733 Sikhs were brutally murdered. Their houses were destroyed. In the rest of the country too, thousands of Sikhs were killed," the bench observed in its 203-page order.
The court said: "A majority of the perpetrators of these horrific mass crimes enjoyed political patronage and were aided by an indifferent law enforcement agency."
When Delhi #HighCourt convicted #CongressLeader #SajjanKumar for #1984SikhGenocide, another key accused #Kamalnath is having an oath ceremony. This is the anti human face of Congress we're seeing. #ShameOnCongress
— Kirron Kher (@KirronKherBJP) December 17, 2018
Media Coverage about #SajjanKumar's verdict by Delhi High Court @ArvindKejriwal @SanjayAzadSln @AamAadmiParty @AAPPunjab @msisodia @AAPDelhi @HarpalCheemaMLA @RubyAap @BaljinderKaur_ @AroraAmanSunam @Sandhwan pic.twitter.com/btSsHM7vku
— Bhagwant Mann (@BhagwantMann) December 17, 2018
The court convicted the Congress leader under various counts of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including murder, criminal conspiracy, delivering provocative speeches instigating violence against Sikhs, mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house and injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class.
Never call 1984 a riot. It was a pogrom, a massacre, a genocide. 3,000 Sikhs slaughtered by Congress mobs in Delhi, several thousands more across 40 cities.
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) December 17, 2018
One the other side, there was just one all-important death: Indira Gandhi.#1984SikhGenocide #SajjanKumar #SajjanConvicted
Not just Rahul Gandhi denied involvement in #1984SikhGenocide,it rewarded leaders involved including Kamalnath.Its only during Modi govt perpetrators like Sajjan Kumar convicted for the very first time.#SajjanConvicted #SajjanKumar#IndiaTrustsCongress pic.twitter.com/q1PYW76RvE
— Geetika Swami (@SwamiGeetika) December 17, 2018
The CBI had filed an appeal challenging the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar and said that the trial court "erred in acquitting Sajjan Kumar as it was he who had instigated the mob during the riots".
In October, the High Court reserved its order on the pleas challenging that trial court judgement on Sajjan Kumar but convicted the other five in the killing of five people in Delhi Cantonment area following Indira Gandhi's killing.
Women survivors Jagdish & Nirpreet Kaur,
— Harinder Singh | ਹਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ (@1Force) December 17, 2018
via consistent & persistent @hsphoolka,
Delhi High Court reversed/sentenced#SajjanKumar to life term
in 5 Sikh men's murder case; cited:
Criminals Enjoyed Political Patronage
Abject Police Failure
Crimes Against Humanity#1984SikhGenocide pic.twitter.com/yrn33hsFFi
The HC Division Bench upheld the trial court April 30, 2013 judgement convicting five other accused -- former councillor Balwan Khokhar, former legislator Mahender Yadav, Krishan Khokar, Girdhari Lal and Retired Captain Bhagmal -- for their involvement in the case.
The five have filed appeals against their conviction.
Khokar, Bhagmal and Lal, who were sentenced to life imprisonment, are currently in jail while the HC has asked Yadav and Krishan to surrender by December 31 and not to leave Delhi.
Wheels of justice have finally moved and we have to thank PM Modi for this as he set up SIT: Union Minister @HarsimratBadal_ | #1984StainsCong pic.twitter.com/kVBIPJ3hx3 #sajjankumar #1984SikhGenocide
— Shishir Bajpai🇮🇳 (@sbajpai2806) December 17, 2018
The HC enhanced the punishment of Yadav and Krishan to 10 years in jail and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each convict.
Sajjan Kumar and the others were charged with the killing of five Sikhs -- Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, who were members from the same family -- by a mob in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar area on October 31, 1984.
How, as a reporter, I witnessed the gruesome killings of Sikhs during 1984 Delhi riots,
— Rajat Sharma (@RajatSharmaLive) December 17, 2018
Why Delhi HC gave life term imprisonment to @INCIndia leader #SajjanKumar for instigating mobs to kill Sikhs in 1984,
Watch #AajKiBaat Tonight at 9 @indiatvnews pic.twitter.com/PaGIWv9hN3
The HC said the accused had been brought to justice primarily on account of the courage and perseverance of three witnesses: Jagdish Kaur, whose husband, son and three cousins were the five who were killed; Jagsher Singh, another cousin of Jagdish Kaur, and Nirpreet Kaur, who saw the Gurudwara being burnt down and her father being burnt to death.
The court appreciated the CBI, saying it was able to win the confidence of the witnesses who spoke up and remained glued to truth at the trial.
How conveniently leaders of @INCIndia lie ! Kapil sibal says #SajjanKumar wasn't given ticket, whereas he won from outer Delhi to lok sabha in 2004. Congress is full of repeated liars. pic.twitter.com/Ru9YWyR1e2
— Haritha Varanasi (@csharitha) December 17, 2018
Not all heroes wear capes. Some have turbans!! #SajjanKumar #1984SikhGenocide pic.twitter.com/PVRasVBebT
— Arshdeep (@arsh_kaur7) December 17, 2018
Everyone please read - who represented #SajjanKumar in court today...
— Khushboo Sharma (@khushbootweet) December 17, 2018
It’s AMIT SIBAL
S/o @KapilSibal
“Political Patronage” Explained
pic.twitter.com/5opOGZv5mP pic.twitter.com/acZJw282No
The Indian Court reversed the acquittal of #SajjanKumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and sentenced him to life.@jaysingh_01 @sikhtoons @SikhProf @amritabhinder @RamiRanger @TarekFatah @rwac48 @SikhProf @HarbirSingh_ @harjotbains @SikhFeminist @AmandeepBhogal pic.twitter.com/TNlDVY0wKn
— Navdeep Singh (@Navdeep_UK) December 17, 2018
The most important two words in today’s #SajjanKumar verdict -
— Manjinder S Sirsa (@mssirsa) December 17, 2018
“political patronage”
Humbly Explained in this photo 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/VtOdUY6mEl
