’84 riots: HC upholds death penalty of 3

NEW DELHI, Oct 16 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today upheld the death sentence of three persons found guilty of murder during the 1984 riots by the trial court, but acquitted two more due to lack of evidence against them.

A Division Bench of Justice Devender Gupta and Justice N G Nandi upheld the Sessions Court judgement awarding death sentences to Kishori Lal, Jagdish, alias Jaggu, and Manohar Lal, alias Munna for their involvement in a murder case during riots in Trilokpuri area of East Delhi on November 1, 1984.

The court, however, acquitted Dr Budh Prakash and businessman Mohammed Abbas charged with murdering two persons during the riots.

Trilokpuri had alone witnessed the massacre of over 400 persons during the riots in the Capital following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by two Sikh security guards on October 31, 1984. The riots had claimed over 3,000 lives in the capital.

This is the second confirmation of the death sentence on Kishori Lal, who attained the dubious distinction of the "butcher of Trilokpuri" which was even recorded in one of the judgements by the trial court.

He was sentenced to death in six murder cases but the capital punishment in four cases was converted into life imprisonment by the High Court while appeal in one case is pending before the Supreme Court.