1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Delhi HC Receives Letter With CD Claiming To Be Confession Of Accused, Issues Notice To Sajjan Kumar

The Delhi High Court on Thursday said it has received a letter petition containing a CD which is claimed to be a confession by an accused person in the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots cases.

A special bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra informed the parties concerned that it has received a letter containing a CD and issued notice to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar asking him to file a reply within 10 days.

The bench had assembled to hear arguments on CBI’s appeal against the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar by a trial court I in 2013 in a case pertaining to killing of five Sikh men in Delhi Cantonment area during the riots.

As soon as the parties assembled for hearing on the arguments, the bench informed them about the letter petition.

Sajjan Kumar’s counsel submitted that he should be heard before the bench issues notice on the said letter petition.

However, the bench said it was already hearing the matter and issued notice to Kumar.

The matter is now listed on April 12.

After the court hearing, senior advocate and Punjab MLA HS Phoolka tweeted, “Sajjan Kumar case-High Court has received a letter petition containing a CD which is stated to be a confession by accused. HC has issued notice & asked Sajjan Kumar to file a reply. Matter listed on 12 April. #1984SikhGenocide #1984reopened”.

It is to be noted that the bench had in March 2017, ordered retrial in five cases pertaining to the riots in which all the accused had been acquitted in 1986.

The bench had observed back then that the killing of men of a single community were not “simple murders” and that the “police, prosecutors and even the courts appeared to have failed the victims”.