Friday, March 29, 2024
ADVT 
India

Congress Leader Sajjan Kumar Was 'Kingpin' Of 1984 Anti-Sikhs Riots, CBI Tells Supreme Court

IANS, 08 Apr, 2019 09:27 PM

    Former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar was the "kingpin" of gruesome offence in which Sikhs were "massacred" in Delhi during the 1984 anti-Sikhs riots, CBI told the Supreme Court on Monday while opposing his plea seeking bail.


    Kumar has challenged in the apex court the Delhi High Court verdict of December 17 last year that awarded him life imprisonment for the "remainder of his natural life" in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.


    73-year-old Kumar, who is lodged in jail, has also filed an application seeking bail.


    His bail application came up for hearing on Monday before a bench of Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer.


    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, opposed his plea saying it would be a "travesty of justice" if Kumar was granted bail as he is facing trial in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case at Patiala House district court here.


    "This is a gruesome offence of massacre of Sikhs. He (Kumar) was the leader and he was the kingpin of this," Mehta told the bench.


    The case in which Kumar was convicted and sentenced relates to the killing of five Sikhs in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar Part-I area of southwest Delhi on November 1 and 2, 1984, and burning down of a Gurudwara in Raj Nagar Part-II.


    Anti-Sikh riots had broken out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.


    During the arguments, the counsel representing Kumar told the bench that a key witness in the case had earlier given four statements in which she had not named Kumar but later, she named the former Congress leader in her statement.


    "How long he (Kumar) has been in jail?," the bench asked.


    To this, the counsel said Kumar is in jail for past over three months and during the adjudication of the trial, he was out on anticipatory bail and never misused the liberty.


    Mehta, however, told the bench about the circumstances in which Kumar was granted anticipatory bail and argued that a violent mob had gathered at Kumar's residence when CBI team had gone there during probe into the case.


    The bench was also told by one of the advocates that Kumar was a sitting MP in 1984 and several Sikhs were killed during the riots in his constituency.


    When Kumar's counsel referred to the merits of the case, the bench said: "We do not know why you are inviting our attention to the facts of the case.


    "Today, you (Kumar) are convicted by the high court. It is not a charge by police. We cannot treat it lightly."


    During the hearing, when Mehta referred to the ongoing trial against Kumar in a case related to 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the bench asked, "How many witnesses are yet to be examined?".


    Mehta said the case is at the stage of recording of prosecution evidence and the apex court can ask the trial court to expedite it.


    The bench, however, asked the CBI to apprise it of the status of the ongoing trial in the case involving Kumar and listed his bail plea for hearing on April 15.


    Kumar had surrendered before a trial court here on December 31, 2018, to serve the sentence in pursuance of the high court's December 17 verdict.


    After his conviction in the case, Kumar had resigned from the Congress party.


    The CBI has recently told the top court that Kumar's plea seeking bail should be dismissed as he has a "large political clout" and is capable of "influencing or terrorising" witnesses in the case pending against him.


    The high court had convicted and sentenced Kumar to spend the remainder of his life in jail for the offences of criminal conspiracy and abetment in commission of crimes of murder, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of communal harmony and defiling and destruction of a Gurdwara.


    It had also upheld the conviction and varying sentences awarded by a trial court to five others — former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and ex-MLAs Mahender Yadav and Kishan Khokhar.


    The high court had set aside the trial court's 2010 verdict which had acquitted Kumar in the case.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Shiv Sena Leader Ajay Thakur Shot Dead In Punjab

    A Shiv Sena leader was allegedly shot dead in Punjab's Gurdaspur district on Friday evening by three youths over a dispute, police said.

    Shiv Sena Leader Ajay Thakur Shot Dead In Punjab

    All You Need To Know About India's Electronic Voting Machines

    All You Need To Know About India's Electronic Voting Machines
    With leass than a week to go for the Lok Sabha elections, IANS has compiled some interesting facts about Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

    All You Need To Know About India's Electronic Voting Machines

    600 Artistes Including Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah Urge People To Vote Against BJP

    The letter, which was issued on Thursday evening in 12 languages on the Artist Unite India website, said the upcoming Lok Sabha elections are the "most critical in the history" of the country.    

    600 Artistes Including Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah Urge People To Vote Against BJP

    'Fake' Deputy Commissioner of Police Sent To Three-Day Police Custody

    'Fake' Deputy Commissioner of Police Sent To Three-Day Police Custody
    A Gurugram court on Friday sent a man to three days police custody after he was arrested for allegedly abusing and assaulting a Delhi Police constable on Thursday evening.

    'Fake' Deputy Commissioner of Police Sent To Three-Day Police Custody

    SC To Hear Plea On PM Modi's Biopic On Monday

    SC To Hear Plea On PM Modi's Biopic On Monday
    The Supreme Court on Friday refused to allow an urgent hearing in a plea seeking stay on the soon-to-be-released biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.    

    SC To Hear Plea On PM Modi's Biopic On Monday

    Day After L.K. Advani's Snub, Murli Manohar Joshi Meets Party Veteran

    A day after BJP veteran L.K. Advani said that his party never regarded political foes as "anti-nationals", senior leader and former party President Murli Manohar Joshi met him on Friday.  

    Day After L.K. Advani's Snub, Murli Manohar Joshi Meets Party Veteran