A Delhi court has acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in connection with the alleged killings of two Sikhs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The case involved incidents in Delhi’s Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas. Special Judge Digvijay Singh of the Rouse Avenue Courts pronounced the brief order, acquitting the 78-year-old Sajjan Kumar.
Decades after the riots, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to reopen 114 cases. In August 2023, charges were framed against Sajjan Kumar under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). However, the murder charge under Section 302, initially applied by the SIT, was dropped by the trial court.
Sajjan Kumar had pleaded not guilty to the charges, asserting his innocence and denying any involvement in the alleged offenses. He claimed lack of material evidence linking him to the incidents and stated he was not present at the violence sites. The victim, Manjeet Kaur, mentioned in a statement to the court that she heard from the mob about Sajjan Kumar’s presence during the violence but did not personally witness him there.
Sajjan Kumar, who was a Member of Parliament during the riots, faced accusations of inciting mobs against the Sikh community. In a previous ruling, the Delhi High Court criticized him for evading justice due to political support and sentenced him to life imprisonment in another case. His appeal against that conviction is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
