1984 anti-Sikh riots: Sajjan Kumar to move Supreme Court against Delhi HC verdict; lawyer says case had 'no evidence'

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted and sentenced to life in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by the Delhi High Court on Monday, will move the Supreme Court against the verdict, reports said. Kumar’s lawyer Anil Sharma told reporters that the Congress leader will move the top court against the verdict. “This was a case of no evidence. We need time to interpret the judgment. We respect Delhi High Court’s judgment. The only option left to us is to go to the Supreme Court against the judgment,”  Sharma told ANI.

Anil Kumar Sharma, Sajjan Kumar's lawyer on Delhi HC awards him life imprisonment in 1984 Anti-Sikh riots case: This was a case of no evidence. We need time to interpret the judgement. We respect Delhi HC's judgement. Only option left to us is to go to SC against the judgement pic.twitter.com/zxNU4u5PHq

— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2018

The Delhi High Court has asked Kumar to surrender before 31 December and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him. Monday’s verdict reversed the 2013 trial court judgment that had acquitted Kumar. While pronouncing the judgment, the judge observed, “In the summer of 1947, during the Partition, several people were massacred. Thirty-seven years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial.”

The judgment was pronounced on the appeal challenging the Congress leader’s acquittal. On 29 October, the Delhi High Court had reserved the order in the case after the culmination of arguments. “We welcome the judgment, however, we hoped for a death sentence for Kumar,” said BJP’s Manjinder Singh Sirsa. The case pertains to the murder of five Sikhs in the Delhi Cantonment area during riots of 1984. Earlier in 2013, the Karkardooma trial court had acquitted Kumar and convicted five others in the case. The appeal in the high court was filed by those convicted in the case, investigative agency CBI and the families of victims. The trial court had awarded life imprisonment to former Congress councillor Balram Khokhar, retired naval officer Bhagmal and Girdhari Lal. A three-year jail term was announced for Kishan Khokhar and former MLA Mahender Yadav. With inputs from ANI