In the second such conviction leading to capital punishment in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, a trial court awarded the death penalty to a man after holding him guilty of murder while another person was given life imprisonment in the case.
Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey awarded the death penalty to Yashpal Singh and sentenced Naresh Sherawat to life imprisonment.
The prosecution demanded the death penalty to the two, saying it was the rarest of rare case. But the defence counsel pleaded for leniency.
The court also slapped a fine of around Rs 35 lakh each against the two convicts and ordered to pay the fine as compensation to the surviving family of the deceased.
The offences the convict committed belong to rarest of rare case category, the court said while pronouncing the quantum of sentence.
"They (convicts) being the influential neighbours of the victims, without any provocation, caused horrendous crime of murder and looting," the court said.
The court noted that the convicts eliminated all victims because of their faith, community and religion which led to their (victim's) displacement.
"Such victims would never be able to forget the tale of their horrors or to rehabilitate themselves in the privious position," the court said.
Last week, the court convicted Sherawat and Yashpal Singh of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons.
Sherawat and Yashpal Singh were accused of killing Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh in Mahipalpur area of south Delhi during the riots that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The violence claimed hundreds of lives, mostly in Delhi.
On a complaint by the victim's brother Santokh Singh, the police lodged a case. But in 1994, the police wanted to close the case citing lack of evidence. The case was reopened by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Earlier in 1995, a trial court had convicted a man named Kishori for murder and ordered that he be hanged. However, the Supreme Court in 1999 reduced the sentence from capital punishment to life imprisonment.
Kishori was convicted for violence in Trilokpuri in east Delhi on November 1, 1984.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader H.S. Phoolka, who has been fighting anti-Sikh riots cases, said that Tuesday's verdict was the beginning of delivery of justice.
"This is a great verdict. We are thankful to the judge for this bold decision and this is the beginning of delivery of justice. Many cases are now pending which are at final stages. We are expecting that we will achieve success in those cases also." Phoolka told IANS.
He said arguments have concluded in the case involving Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and the judgement was reserved.
"Now we expect we will succeed in that also."
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also welcomed the sentence.
Welcome the first conviction by a Delhi court in the 1984 riots case. Justice has finally been meted out to the perpetrators of the heinous crimes. Hope the others involved in the attacks are also soon brought to book for their horrendous and inhuman acts.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) November 20, 2018
"Welcome the conviction by a Delhi court in the 1984 riots case. Justice has finally been meted out to the perpetrators of the heinous crimes. Hope the others involved in the attacks are also soon brought to book," he tweeted.
Union Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said justice had been delivered to the two culprits due to efforts of the National Democratic Alliance government.
"They killed! They burnt! They raped! Today they hang!! I thank Waheguru for giving Sikhs a ray of hope in today's verdict against two culprits of 1984 Sikh genocide and pray for similar punishment for Sajjan, Tytler, and their partners in crimes against Sikhs!!
Today, the justice has been delivered to 2 culprits of #1984SikhGenocide because of the efforts of NDA govt. I thank PM @narendramodi ji for setting up SIT in 2015 & reopening the case closed by Delhi Police in 1994. We will not rest till the last murderer is brought to justice.
— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) November 20, 2018
"Today, justice has been delivered to 2 culprits of the 1984 Sikh genocide because of the efforts of NDA goverment. I thank PM Narendra Modiji for setting up SIT in 2015 and reopening the case closed by Delhi Police in 1994.
"We will not rest till the last murderer is brought to justice," she said in tweets.
1984 RIOTS VERDICT: AMARINDER, BADAL HAIL CONVICTION
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday welcomed the first death conviction by a Delhi court in the 1984 riots case.
Terming is as "long overdue", Amarinder, in a statement here, said: "Justice has finally been meted out to the perpetrators of the heinous crimes."
"It has taken more than 30 years for the court to deliver justice in this case. I hope that the other cases would also soon be settled by the judiciary," he said.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed satisfaction at the award of death sentence and life imprisonment to two convicts in the 1984 Sikh massacre case.
Justice has been served, even after 34 years. Cong's attempts to shelter #1984SikhGenocide perpetrators have been defeated due to the SIT by Modi govt which reopened the cases in 2015. I join the Sikh community in expressing satisfaction at just punishment to the two convicts/1
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) November 20, 2018
Now it is the turn of the two big butchers of Delhi - Tytler & Sajjan to face the hangman’s noose. Sikh community also awaits unmasking of role of Gandhi family and other Congress leaders in execution of the genocide and hopes they also will be proceeded against as per the law/2
— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) November 20, 2018
In a statement here, the SAD chief said 34 years after the "mass carnage of thousands of Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of the country, the law was finally catching up with the genocide perpetrators with award of punishment to two culprits".
The Delhi court awarded Yashpal Singh death sentence and life term to Naresh Sehrawat for the killing of two Sikh men in Mahipal village in South Delhi in 1984.
"All this has been possible due to affirmative and decisive action taken by the NDA government which formed a SIT in 2015 to take massacre cases to their logical conclusion," Badal said, adding that these cases had been closed by the Congress government.
