1984 Anti-Sikh Riots: Delhi Court Acquits Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in Vikaspuri, Janakpuri case
A Delhi court on Thursday acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case linked to allegations of inciting violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas of the national capital during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday acquitted former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a case linked to allegations of inciting violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri areas of the national capital during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
1984 Anti Sikh riots case | Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court acquits Sajjan Kumar in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri Sikh riots case. The court had discharged Sajjan Kumar from the offence of murder
— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2026
What did the court say?
Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh on Thursday pronounced the acquittal. The court said a detailed and reasoned order would be issued later
Singh pronounced the acquittal in a case that accused Kumar of provoking mobs in parts of west Delhi during the riots.
1984 Anti Sikh riots case | Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court acquits Sajjan Kumar in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri Sikh riots case. The court had discharged Sajjan Kumar from the offence of murder
— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2026
A member of an affected family, says," We are still seeking justice. We will approach… pic.twitter.com/EdeyGpVI8c
What is the case?
The charges in this particular trial stemmed from two FIRs registered in February 2015 by a special investigation team, related to violence in Janakpuri and Vikaspuri in November 1984. The prosecution had alleged that Kumar’s actions helped fuel attacks in those areas.
In August 2023, the court had framed charges against the former Congress for rioting and promoting enmity, while discharging charges of murder and criminal conspiracy in the same.
What were the FIRs?
The first FIR concerned to the killing of Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh in Janakpuri on November 1, 1984.
The second FIR was related to the killing of Gurcharan Singh, who was allegedly set on fire in Vikaspuri on November 2, 1984.
What now?
Kumar is still in prion, despite the acquittal in this case. The trial court on February 25 last year sentenced him to life imprisonment for the killing of Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar area on November 1, 1984 during the riots.
In the judgement, the court said that while the crime was grave, it did not fall under the "rarest of rare" category warranting the death penalty.
The Delhi High Court on December 17, 2018 sentenced Kumar to life imprisonment for causing the deaths of five people during rioting in the Palam Colony area following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Kumar's appeal against that conviction and sentence is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
