NEW DELHI: A division bench of the Delhi High Court upheld the conviction of three persons sentenced to life imprisonment by a lower court for involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the city.
‘The division bench consisting Justice P.K. Bahri and Justice Mohammad Shamin dismissed the appeal by Satish, Raj Bahadur alias Danny and Hira Lal against the order of the additional session’s judge. The Judges observed that they did not find ‘Any merit in it. ‘The trio was convicted of the killing of four Sikhs on November 2, 1984 in Block A under Sultanpuri police station in cast Delhi; the victims were Balwant Singh, Pritam Singh, Kirpal Singh and Sher Singh. Counsel for: its Mr, O, P. Suni, Pramad Swarup and K.K. Sood contended that there was no evidence on record to show who were the assailants who killed the Sikhs in as much as the bodies were never identified at any stage of the investigation. They also cited an “inordinate delay” in the registration of an FIR, the recording of witnesses” statements and material contradictions” in their testimony.
Rejecting these arguments, the in their Order dated February ‘said “to substantiate the case of the prosecution, we feel that it is not required that the bodies must have been made available for identification of the relatives if the prosecution witnesses are otherwise in a position to prove the guilt of the accused persons. H.J.S. Ahluwalia, Delhi government standing counsel represented state.
Also recollecting the “chaos and anarchy that every nook and comer of the city and the complete breakdown of the law and order machinery” following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, the judges said the delay in the lodging of the FIR on Nov. 14, 1984, as also the witnesses statements.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 20, 1996
