NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has sentenced three persons to life imprisonment after finding them guilty of murdering three Sikhs and looting their property during the November 1984 riots in the capital that followed the assassination of Premier Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.
Additional sessions judge J B Goel convicted Tribhuvan Nath Sita Ramand Wazir Nath all slum dwellers of the Sultanpuri resettlement colony in west Delhi for brutally murdering their neighbors Himmat Singh Sunder Singh and Wazir Singh on November 1 1984.
In his 55-page judgment delivered on March 30 the judge observed that capital punishment was not being given to the convicts as they had formed part of a large mob and they did not have bad or criminal antecedents.
The judge cited other reasons for not awarding capital punishment as the convicts were members of socially and economically weaker sections and lastly they had families to look after.
The judge observed that the convicts did not have any personal enmity or vendetta against the deceased but were swayed by the grave mob fury.
The victims were attacked with sticks and iron rods and later burnt in the presence of their relatives the judge noted and added that other members who formed part of the mob could not be apprehended.
Goel said that it could not be said that the crime was planned by the three.
‘The judge also imposed fine of Rs 5000 each on the convicts and ordered that after realisation it should be equally distributed to the next of the kin of deceased. He ordered that rigorous imprisonment be extended by six months in case they failed to pay the fine.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 12, 1991
