New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Friday agreed to hear in July a petition filed by Sajjan Kumar, challenging his life sentence in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
The court was informed that the 80-year-old former Congress leader has already spent more than seven years in jail. Kumar has been in custody since December 31, 2018, when he surrendered following his conviction by the Delhi High Court.
Case background
The case relates to the killing of five Sikhs in the Palam area of Delhi on November 1–2, 1984, and the burning of a gurdwara in the nearby Raj Nagar locality during the riots.
The High Court had overturned a trial court’s acquittal and held Kumar guilty, sentencing him to life imprisonment.
Additional conviction
In a separate case, a Delhi court on February 25, 2025, also awarded him life imprisonment for the murder of a father and son in the Saraswati Vihar area during the same period of violence.
Arguments in court
Appearing for Kumar, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan told a bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar that his client has been in jail for over seven years and four months without seeking parole or interim relief.
The defence also highlighted Kumar’s personal circumstances, stating that his wife is critically ill and bedridden, and he has not been able to meet her since his incarceration in Tihar Jail.
