1984 anti-Sikh riots: Former MP Sajjan Kumar gets bail but will remain in jail

A Special CBI Court has granted bail to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case connected to the murder of two people during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots [State v. Sajjan Kumar]..Special CBI Judge MK Nagpal allowed the reprieve on a bail bond of ₹1 lakh. Kumar, however, will remain in jail as he is undergoing life-term imprisonment in another case pertaining to the pogrom. The Court refused to accept the apprehensions raised by prosecution such as Kumar influencing or threatening witnesses, or tampering with the evidence, or absconding, if released on bail..“Moreover, as already discussed, the accused will not come out of custody merely on grant of bail to him by this court in the present case because he is already undergoing life imprisonment in the above CBI case,” added the Court.The Court noted that the former lawmaker was convicted in a similar case of rioting and sentenced to undergo life imprisonment..The same court had on December 4, 2021, ordered framing of murder and rioting charges against jailed Congress politician..The present case pertained to the killing of a father-and-son duo, namely, Jaswant Singh and Tarun Deep Singh, by a mob, which was reportedly led by Kumar. He allegedly instigated and abetted in the burning of the two victims besides causing damage, destruction and loot of their household articles and inflicting injuries on their family members.The bail order observed that the offences were committed in 1984, underscoring the “long period of more than 37 years” having passed since then..During this time, several cases were registered or re-registered against Kumar in the various parts of Delhi and the present case happened to be one of the related cases to the violence and also the only case in which the accused has been arrested.Kumar was interrogated and arrested in the present case on April 6, 2021, while he was confined in Tihar Jail in the other case..Kumar’s counsel contended that apart from the present case his client was neither arrested nor taken into custody in any other case during the course of investigation or re-investigation and, in fact, was given anticipatory bail in all the other cases..“Investigation of the case was completed long ago and the trial against the accused has already begun after framing of charges and even eight prosecution witnesses stand examined on record out of the total 21 witnesses cited in the list of witnesses and six other witnesses of the list stand already dropped,” noted Judge Nagpal.The Court further considered the fact that the statement of one of the victims, who is the daughter of the complainant was recorded for the first time only after about 32 years. Besides, though the statement of the other victim, who is the niece of the complainant, was recorded after around 7-8 years from the date of incident, no claim of having witnessed the purported killings or the accused’s identity, was ever made.Kumar is currently serving life imprisonment in Tihar jail after the Delhi High Court convicted him in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case on December 17, 2018..[Read Order]