Sajjan Kumar Gets Life Sentence in 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case
Sikhs Say They Expected Death Penalty
February 26, 2025
A Delhi court on Feb 25 sentenced former Congress party MP Sajjan Kumar to life imprisonment for the killings of a father-son duo during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. Disappointed by the verdict after more than 40 years, many Sikhs insist that the death penalty was the only suitable outcome for a deliberate act of violence.
The case centred on the murders of Jaswant Singh and his son on Nov. 1, 1984, in Saraswati Vihar in Delhi, when violence erupted across the capital city following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. According to the prosecution, a mob targeted the victims’ home, looted their belongings and set the property on fire.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja chose life imprisonment over the death penalty, noting in her order that the crime did not qualify as the “rarest of rare case,” according to The Tribune, which said the judge cited the convict’s age, his reported ailments, his past conduct while serving another life term, and the possibility of his rehabilitation.
Many members of the Sikh community had hoped for a harsher outcome. Outside the court, protesters voiced anger over what they saw as an insufficient sentence and too late, with some insisting that a life term did not reflect the scale of the harm inflicted.
One demonstrator, identified as Gurlad Singh, stated, “Four decades have passed now, and it is judiciary’s phrase that justice delayed is justice denied,” as reported by The New Indian Express. “We demand only the death penalty for Sajjan Kumar.”
In the ruling, the court also imposed a fine of around 240,000 (2.4 lakh) rupees, instructing that the sum be directed to the victim’s family. Judge Baweja recommended additional compensation under the Victim Compensation Scheme, subject to an inquiry by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority.
Around 3,000 individuals, most of them Sikhs, lost their lives across India during the violence, which was triggered by Gandhi’s assassination on Oct. 31, 1984. The chaos led to widespread attacks on Sikh homes, gurdwaras and businesses, marking one of the country’s most serious outbreaks of communal violence in decades.
Kumar, now 79, is already serving a life term in Delhi’s Tihar Jail following a 2018 conviction by the Delhi High Court in another 1984-related case. That earlier ruling found him guilty of leading attacks on Sikhs in Raj Nagar, resulting in multiple deaths and the destruction of a local gurdwara.
A Special Investigation Team, constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015, reopened cases previously closed for lack of evidence, eventually leading to Kumar’s prosecution in this latest matter.
Judge Baweja’s order noted the evidence presented against the former MP, stating that prosecutors had proved his role “beyond reasonable doubt.” Kumar was found guilty of murder, rioting, dacoity, culpable homicide and other offenses, all tied to the unlawful assembly that targeted the victims’ home.
His conviction marks the second time the Special Investigation Team (SIT)’s renewed efforts have ended in a guilty verdict for him. In 2021, the investigation led to the present case against Kumar while he was already serving his existing life sentence.
Kumar’s legal battles are far from over.
In September 2023, he was acquitted in another murder case related to riots in the Sultanpuri area, though the state has appealed that decision in the Delhi High Court. A fourth case, involving culpable homicide in Janakpuri, is still being heard.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Jarnail Singh and others criticised the ruling as inadequate.
Singh also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of taking credit for forming the SIT while failing to act against its own leaders allegedly involved in the riots, according to The Tribune. He cited a 1993 FIR, or police complaint, that named 14 individuals linked to multiple riot-related cases, including BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) figures such as Ram Kumar Jain, Pritam Singh, Ram Chander Gupta and Ratan Lal. “The BJP claims its SIT is delivering justice, so why has it not acted against its own leaders who were involved in the killings?” he asked.
