1984 anti-Sikh riots convict Sajjan Kumar dies while serving life term

Former Congress leader and MP Sajjan Kumar, who was serving a life sentence for his conviction in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at the age of 80. He was brought dead to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, according to hospital sources.

Sajjan Kumar, former Member of Parliament and senior Indian National Congress leader, who was serving a life term for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, died at 80 on Thursday. He was brought dead to Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, hospital sources said.

Kumar, an 80-year-old three-time parliamentarian, had been involved in one of the most prolonged and consequential legal battles in India, the 1984 anti Sikh riots cases that followed the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. For over three decades, Kumar faced multiple criminal cases relating to the violence, with outcomes that swung between acquittals and convictions across different courts.

Convictions and Acquittals in Riot Cases

In the Delhi's Raj Nagar area case, relating to the killing of five members of a family and the torching of a gurudwara, the Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018, overturned a trial court's earlier acquittal and convicted Kumar, sentencing him to life imprisonment. Kumar surrendered and has been in jail since December 2018.

In the Saraswati Vihar murder case, concerning the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984, a trial court had earlier acquitted Kumar, but on February 25, 2025, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja awarded him a second life imprisonment term, sparing him the death penalty in view of his old age, ailments and conduct while serving his previous life sentence.

In the case relating to violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas, a Rouse Avenue Court acquitted Kumar on January 22 of charges of inciting the killing of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh, and the burning of Gurcharan Singh.

On May 26, the Delhi High Court issued notice on the appeal against the acquittal of Former MP Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 Anti Sikh riots case.

Kumar had repeatedly sought bail and relief on medical grounds during his jail period. Throughout his life, Kumar remained one of the most prominent former public representatives held criminally responsible for the state-wide violence following four decades of prolonged judicial inquiry. (ANI)

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