1984 riots: Order on Sajjan Kumar charges May 15

NEW DELHI - A city court Tuesday decided to pronounce on May 15 its order whether charges should be framed against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others for allegedly killing five people during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Additional Sessions Judge Sunita Gupta reserved her order for May 15 after both prosecution and defence concluded their arguments on whether the charges should be framed.

Arguing before Gupta, Central Bureau of Investigation counsel R.S. Cheema alleged that Kumar incited a mob which killed five people near Delhi Cantonment.

Cheema also sought framing of charges against Kumar for sedition.

Counsel for Kumar argued that no case was made out against him. He claimed the case in which the CBI has sought action against Kumar was earlier closed by police, who did not find enough preliminary evidence to try him.

Sajjan Kumar, Khushal Singh, Girdhari Lal, Balwan Khokhar, Mahender Yadav, Maha Singh, Capt Bhagmal, Santosh Rani and Krishna Khokhar were named as accused in the murder of five people in Delhi Cantonment in the 1984 riots following the then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

The CBI filed a charge sheet against Sajjan Kumar and others in two cases for allegedly instigating mobs during the riots, in which more than 3,000 Sikhs were killed across Delhi.