Delhi court defers judgment on case linked to 1984 riots killings in Saraswati Vihar

A Delhi court is likely to deliver on January 21 its verdict in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots murder case against former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar.

The case is linked to the alleged killings of two men in the Saraswati Vihar area during the riots.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who was scheduled to pass the order on Wednesday, deferred the pronouncement.

"January 21 is the next date," the judge said.

Kumar, currently lodged in Tihar central jail, appeared before the court via videoconferencing.

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The court had reserved the judgment after hearing the final arguments in the case related to the killings of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh on November 1, 1984.

Though the Punjabi Bagh police station initially registered the case, a special investigation team subsequently took over the investigation.

On December 16, 2021, the court framed charges against Kumar, finding a "prima facie" case against him.

According to the prosecution, a huge mob armed with deadly weapons, resorted to large-scale looting, arson and destruction of properties of Sikhs to avenge the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

The mob attacked the house of the complainant, Jaswant Singh's wife, killing her husband and their son, apart from looting articles and setting their home ablaze, the prosecution alleged.

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Putting Kumar on trial, the court found sufficient material to form a "prima facie opinion that he was not only a participant but had also led the mob".