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1984 Riots: Hearing In Second Case Against Sajjan Kumar Adjourned Till 22 January

The hearing was adjourned because Kumar's main counsel did not appear before the court to cross-examine witnesses.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images

The Patiala House Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing in a second 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar till 22 January. Kumar is accused of instigating a mob to kill Sikhs during the violence.

According to ANI, the hearing was adjourned because Kumar’s main counsel did not appear before the court to cross-examine the witnesses in the case.

The second case has been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the Nanavati Commission’s recommendation

Three persons — Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta and Ved Prakash — are facing trial on charges of murder and rioting in the case pertaining to the killing of Surjit Singh in Sultanpuri.

Cham Kaur, a witness in the case, had on 16 November identified Kumar before the court as the person who had allegedly instigated the mob to kill Sikhs.

Kaur had told the court that she had seen Kumar allegedly addressing the crowd in national capital’s Sultanpuri area in 1984 that Sikhs had killed “our mother” (referring to Indira Gandhi) and instigated the mob to kill them.

Before Kaur, another key prosecution witness Sheela Kaur had identified Kumar as the one who had instigated the mob in Sultanpuri.

The case was transferred from the Karkardooma court to the Patiala House court by the Delhi High Court, which had directed the district judge to video record the proceedings at the cost of the accused.

The Delhi High Court had on 17 December convicted Kumar and sentenced to imprisonment for “remainder of his natural life” in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, saying the riots were a “crime against humanity” perpetrated by those who enjoyed “political patronage” and aided by an “indifferent” law enforcement agency.

(With PTI inputs)

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.