Delhi, India (July 06, 2013): It is learnt that the victims-cum-survivors of the Delhi Cantonment Area Massacre have challenged the acquittal of Congress Party leader Sajjan Kumar in a November 1984 massacre related case in the Delhi High Court.
Sajjan Kumar is one of the perpetrators of the Sikh Genocide 1984, who has enjoyed patronage and protection of the Indian state.
Sajjan Kumar – Indian politician who is facing murder charges in an incident related to Sikh Genocide 1984
It is notable that Indian judiciary has also suffered severe failure in nailing the culprits of Sikh genocide 1984. The survivors of the genocide were looking towards the Indian courts for justice but these courts have delivered only disappointment to the them.
Recently on April 30 a Delhi trial court acquitted Sajjan Kumar despite evidence against him in Cantonment area massacre case.
Now the family members of the victims of the Delhi Cantonment area massacre have knocked at the doors of Delhi High Court against the decision of trial court to acquit Sajjan Kumar.
The petitioners have reportedly contended that the trial court failed to appreciate the large number of legally admissible evidence in its verdict.
It is learnt that the appeal filed by Bibi Jagdish Kaur and Bibi Nirpreet Kaur, who had lost their close relatives in the massacre , have sought setting aside of the trial court’s April 30 judgement.
They contended that the verdict was “erroneous” as the trial court had failed to appreciate that there were ample legally admissible evidence against Kumar to show that he had allegedly “engineered” the murders of five Sikh persons in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment.
The petitioners have also submitted that the trial court ignored the statements of Bibi Jagdish Kaur, and Nirpreet Kaur who were direct witness to Kumar’s presence and the speech of hatred given by him on November 2, 1984.
On April 30, allowing Sajjan Kumar to walk free in the case, the trial court in its 129-page verdict said the subsequent testimony of victim Jagdish Kaur that she had seen him instigating a mob with his provocative speech was “not acceptable and believable”.
The court had acquitted Sajjan Kumar, a former Lok Sabha MP from Outer Delhi, but convicted five others — Balwan Khokkar, an ex-councillor, Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA, Kishan Khokkar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal – for their involvement in the case.