Sajjan Kumar gets two life terms for 2 murders during 1984 riots | India News

File photograph of Sajjan Kumar (Pic credit score: PTI)

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court docket Tuesday awarded two life terms to Congress ex-MP Sajjan Kumar (80) for murdering a Sikh man and his son during the anti-Sikh riots in Nov 1984. The court docket stated the offences dedicated had been “undoubtedly brutal and reprehensible”.
The two life terms – one for the double murders and one other for offences below Section 436 (mischief by hearth or explosive substance with intent to destroy home, and so forth.) of the IPC – will run concurrently.
The court docket had on Feb 12 convicted Kumar within the case for killing Jaswant Singh and son Tarundeep Singh in Saraswati Vihar.
Refusing to think about the case within the “rarest of rare” class to be match for awarding demise sentence, particular decide Kaveri Baweja cited a number of “mitigating factors”, together with Kumar’s age, his well being situation and his bedridden spouse. “The satisfactory conduct of the convict as per report of jail authorities… the fact he has roots in society and the possibility of his reformation and rehabilitation are material considerations which, in my opinion, tilt the scales in favour of a sentence for life imprisonment,” Baweja stated.

Testimonies of victims’ kin nailed Sajjan
Kumar is already serving a life time period in a case associated to the anti-Sikh riots awarded by Delhi High Court in 2018. The court docket had laid out in that case that he’ll stay in jail for the remainder of his life.
Senior advocate HS Phoolka, who appeared on behalf of the complainant within the case, defined the two life sentences awarded by the court docket. “One has been awarded for murder under Section 302 of IPC and the other for offences under 436 IPC. The minimum prescribed sentence for murder and the maximum sentence for offences under 436 IPC have been awarded. Both sentences will run concurrently, but two life sentences will have a serious bearing on any plea by Kumar for bail. Getting bail will be difficult,” stated Phoolka.
The court docket identified that the incident in query can stated to be part of the identical chain of incidents for which Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by Delhi High Court on December 12, 2018. He had been discovered responsible of inflicting the demise of 5 harmless individuals during an analogous incident of rioting following the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

“Though the killing of two innocent persons in the present case is no less an offence…the above noted circumstances, in my opinion, do not make this a ‘rarest of rare case’ warranting imposition of the death penalty for the offence punishable under Section 302 read with Section 149 IPC,” the court docket noticed.
Outlining the brutality suffered by the victims, the court docket stated it has been established that the victims within the current case witnessed not solely the brutal killing of their relations by the hands of the rioting mob, which Kumar was part of, but in addition the burning and destruction of their home and looting of their belongings.
(*2*) stated the court docket.
The court docket listed varied aggravating components within the case, together with the homicide of two harmless individuals by burning them within the presence of their relations, inflicting accidents and the resultant persevering with trauma of the survivor victims (spouse, daughter, and niece of deceased sufferer Jaswant Singh) and destruction of their home and belongings by the mob, of which Kumar was a member during rioting, concentrating on of male members of a selected neighborhood and Kumar’s conviction in an analogous case by Delhi HC the place 5 individuals had been murdered by a mob of which Kumar was held to be the chief.
However, the court docket’s inclination went in favour of the mitigating circumstances whereas sentencing Kumar.
The court docket known as the testimonies of the witnesses – the complainant spouse, daughter and niece of deceased Jaswant Singh “reliable” and uncontroverted as they proved that their home at Raj Nagar in Saraswati Vihar, Delhi, was set on hearth by the stated mob.
While sentencing Kumar, the court docket took word of a report of Tihar Jail authorities, which said that on account of his prevailing well being situations, Kumar was unable to hold out his each day routine/actions correctly. The report stated that as a consequence of his frail well being, he’s additionally not in a position to do any work in jail.
The report additionally stated that he’s below therapy and has been prescribed antidepressants and sleep medicines. He in any other case doesn’t present any indicators and signs of psychological sickness and doesn’t require any psychiatric intervention at current, stated the report of the jail administration.