Page 39 - 15MAR2019E

Sikh riotS

SC judge reCuSeS himSelf from patronage” and aided by an

“indifferent” law enforce-
hearing appeal of Sajjan Kumar ment agency. The high court
had set aside the trial court’s
2010 verdict which had ac-
Former Congress leader has challenged the Delhi High Court quitted Kumar in the case.
In a separate devel-
verdict that sentenced him to life term in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, opment, Uttar Pradesh
reports Tehelka Bureau government has constituted
a Special Investigation Team
upreme Court (SIT) to probe the circum-
judge Justice stances that led to riots in
Sanjiv Khanna Kanpur in 1984 following
recently recused the assassination of then
S himself from Prime Minister Indira Gan-
hearing the appeal of for- dhi. “The four-member SIT
mer Congress leader Sajjan will be headed by retired UP
Kumar challenging the Del- Director General of Police,
hi High Court verdict that Atul. Other members of the
sentenced him to life term team include retired District
in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
The apex court on January 14 UP has set up an
had sought response from
the CBI on the appeal of the SIT to probe the
former Congress leader circumstances
and had posted the mat-
ter for hearing his appeal ber 31, 2018 to serve the and abetment in commis- of riots in
and the bail plea for today. sentence in pursuance of sion of crimes of murder,
“My brother (Justice Sanjiv the high court’s December promoting enmity between Kanpur in 1984
Khanna) does not want to 17 judgment awarding him different groups on grounds following the
hear,” a bench comprising life imprisonment for the of religion and doing acts
Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi “remainder of his natural prejudicial to maintenance assassination of
and Justice Khanna said at life”. After his conviction of communal harmony and Indira Gandhi
the out set. in the case, Kumar had defiling and destruction of a
The bench then ordered resigned from the Congress Gurdwara.
that the plea of Kumar be party. The case in which It had also upheld the Judge Subhash Chandra
listed before an appropri- Kumar was convicted and conviction and varying Agarwal and retired Ad-
ate bench to which Justice sentenced relates to the sentences awarded by a trial ditional Director (Prosecu-
Khanna was not part and killing of five Sikhs in Delhi court to five others former tion) Yogeshwar Krishna
adjourned the hearing. Cantonment’s Raj Nagar Congress councillor Balwan Srivastava. One serving
The apex court had earlier Part-I area of southwest Khokhar, retired naval of- police officer of SP or SSP
admitted the appeal of Saj- Delhi on November 1-2, ficer Captain Bhagmal, Gird- rank will also be the part of
jan Kumar for hearing and 1984 and burning down of a hari Lal and former MLAs the team. The SIT has been
had also issued notice to the Gurudwara in Raj Nagar. Mahender Yadav and Kishan asked to submit its report
CBI on his bail plea and had The anti-Sikh riots had Khokhar. In its judgment, in 6 months. In August 2017,
sought its response within broken out after the as- the high court had noted the apex court had issued a
four weeks. It had also al- sassination of then prime that over 2,700 Sikhs were notice to the state govern-
lowed the former Congress minister Indira Gandhi killed in the national capital ment on a petition seeking
leader to file “lengthy list of on October 31, 1984 by her during the 1984 riots which a SIT probe of the riots. At
dates” and “additional facts two Sikh bodyguards. The was indeed a “carnage of least 125 people were killed
and grounds” in favour of high court had convicted unbelievable proportions”. in 1984 riots in Kanpur after
his appeal. and sentenced Kumar to It had said the riots were the assassination of then PM
The 73-year-old Kumar spend the remainder of his a “crime against human- Indira Gandhi.
had surrendered before a life in jail for the offences ity” perpetrated by those
trial court here on Decem- of criminal conspiracy who enjoyed “political letters@tehelka.com

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