New Delhi: A Delhi court has acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove his involvement beyond reasonable doubt.
Special Judge (PC Act) Dig Vinay Singh at Rouse Avenue Courts delivered the oral verdict on Thursday, in the matter concerning violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas.
The long-standing case resulted from FIRs filed in 2015 by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) based on complaints regarding deaths of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh on November 1, 1984 during the anti-Sikh riots. Kumar faced charges of rioting and promoting enmity since August 2023. Murder and conspiracy charges against him were earlier dropped.
The riots, which followed Indira Gandhi’s assassination, resulted in the death of over 3,000 Sikhs nationwide. Kumar, a prominent Congress leader, has been linked to multiple cases, including a 2023 life sentence for a Saraswati Vihar murder which is still under appeal.
In his verdict, Judge Singh emphasised lack of credible evidence placing Kumar at the scene or proving instigation, conspiracy, or unlawful assembly participation. Most prosecution witnesses offered hearsay testimony or delayed naming Kumar for decades, deemed unreliable despite explanations of fear due to his influence.
“There is no reliable evidence that the accused was present at the crime scene… No evidence of instigating any mob or conspiracy,” the court stated, refusing to lower proof standards based on Kumar’s public status or other cases. The SIT’s further probe was valid but yielded insufficient direct proof.
Protests erupted outside the court as Sikh activists and victims’ kin decried the verdict, demanding justice and higher appeals. Kumar’s counsel hailed it as vindication after 32 years, thanking the judiciary.
Sikh organisations like the Shiromani Akali Dal condemned the acquittal, calling it a “miscarriage of justice” amid ongoing riot accountability struggles.
