On Monday, the Delhi High Court jailed for life former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for the murder of five Sikhs during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The court asked the 73-year-old to surrender by December 31; On December 21, it turned down his appeal for 30 more days. The violence that followed the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, led to the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. The court said Kumar, at the time an MP, was convicted of the charges of criminal conspiracy and delivering “provocative speeches instigating violence against Sikhs”.

DSGMC president Manjit Singh G.K., Nirpreet Kaur and Jagdish Kaur, whose family members were killed during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa react in New Delhi on December 17, 2018 after the Delhi High Court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar for criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, acts against communal harmony in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.   | Photo Credit: PTI

The case in which Kumar has been convicted relates to the killing of five Sikhs at Raj Nagar under the Delhi Cantonment police station. The court relied on the depositions of three eyewitnesses, Jagdish Kaur, Jagsher Singh and Nirpreet Kaur, and said the accused had been brought to justice because of their “courage and perseverance.”