M A I N   N E W S

HC rejects Sajjan’s plea in ’84 riots case
Asks trial court to deliver judgment in a year
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 19
In a setback to senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, the Delhi High Court today dismissed his application, asking the court to quash the trial court’s order of framing charges, including that of murder, against him in a case of anti-Sikh riots.

“Circumstances of the case and the nature of offences are certainly not such as to justify the quashing of the charges against the petitioner-accused (Kumar) in the interest of justice. The interest of justice requires that the offences, allegedly committed by accused persons, are expeditiously tried to preserve the rule of law in the society,” said Justice Vipin Sanghi. The judge asked the trial court to complete the trial and deliver the judgment in a year and “not grant any unnecessary adjournments either to the prosecution or to the accused”. The High Court also took a strong view of the Delhi Police decision to file untraced report in the case even as its probe was already transferred to the CBI. The judge asked the Delhi Police commissioner to examine the justifiability of the report and file an action taken report within six months.

Appearing for Kumar, advocate Amarendra Sharan contended before the court that the charges should not have been framed against him as there had been immense delay in the conduct of investigations and the statements of witnesses could not be considered reliable for they had been recorded after almost 22-24 years after the incident.

The submissions were, however, rejected by the court which said it could not be said at this stage that the petitioner was not involved in the commission of offences, of which he was charged. “The delay in the prosecution of the case against the accused does not, in any event, appear to have caused any prejudice to him. He has not faced the trial for over two-and-a-half decades and enjoyed his freedom,” the court said, pointing the fact that the delay in justice has indirectly proven to be an advantage to the former Congress MP.