1984 riots: Supreme Court rejects Sajjan Kumar’s plea

NEW DELHI - The Supreme Court Monday rejected Congress leader Sajjan Kumar’s appeal seeking the quashing of the framing of charges against him in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The apex court bench of Justices P. Sathasivam and Anil R. Dave, however, said the trial court would remain uninfluenced by the adverse observation made by the Delhi High Court while rejecting the similar plea by Sajjan Kumar.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Sathasivam said that the trial judge was free to analyse, appreciate and evaluate the material placed before him. It can’t be concluded that the framing of charges by the trial judge is bad or an abuse of the process of law or based on no material, the judgement said.

Since the case pertains to 1984, the judgement said that the trial court would make sincere efforts for an early conclusion of the trial. The court said that it expected both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Sajjan Kumar to aid the court in this regard.

Sajjan Kumar has been named the main accused in a case in which Jagdish Kaur of Palam Colony (near Delhi Cantonment) lost her husband and son during rioting and arson by mobs in the aftermath of prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination on Oct 31, 1984.