New Delhi [India], February 18: The prosecution in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case has sought the death penalty for former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted for the murder of a father-son duo in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar area during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The two victims, Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh, were killed on November 1, 1984.
In a submission filed on Tuesday, Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Manish Rawat argued for the death penalty, citing guidelines from the Nirbhaya case and similar cases. He described the crime as “rarest of rare” and highlighted that individuals from a specific community were targeted without provocation. The prosecution further argued that the incident severely undermined communal trust and harmony.
The Special Judge, Kaveri Baweja, has scheduled a hearing for February 21 to continue the sentencing arguments. The court has asked both the victims’ and accused’s counsels to file their written submissions before the next date. Senior counsel H.S. Phoolka is expected to represent the victims.
Kumar’s defense counsel did not appear due to a lawyer’s strike, and sought more time to make their submissions.
Key Legal Arguments:
- Prosecutor Rawat emphasized the “rarest of rare” nature of the case, underscoring the mass targeting of Sikhs during the riots.
- Senior counsel Phoolka, representing the victims, argued that the police investigation was delayed and manipulated to protect the accused.
- Phoolka referred to the Delhi High Court’s judgment in the 1984 Delhi Cantonment case, which had described the riots as a “crime against humanity.”
Sajjan Kumar was previously convicted in a separate anti-Sikh riots case in Delhi Cantonment and is serving a life sentence for it. This case, investigated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a recommendation from the Justice G.P. Mathur Committee, was initially filed as an FIR at the Punjabi Bagh police station. Kumar was charged with leading the mob that burnt alive the victims and inflicted severe injuries on other members of their family.
The court will consider further arguments and sentencing on February 21.