The hearing on former Congress leader and 1984 anti-Sikh riot case convict Sajjan Kumar's plea for bail and suspension of sentence was deferred again as Justice Sanjiv Khanna recused himself from hearing the matter.

"List the instant application for bail on 08.04.2019 before a Bench of which one of us (Hon'ble Sanjiv Khanna, J.) is not a member," said the order passed by Justice S.A. Bobde and Justice Khanna after later recused from hearing the matter.

In a hearing last month, Justice Khanna had recused himself from the matter as he had dealt with the case as a judge in the Delhi High Court.

The top court had on February 14 issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation on Sajjan Kumar's plea for bail and suspension of sentence while challenging his conviction.

Sajjan Kumar has challenged the Delhi High Court verdict sentencing him to life imprisonment following his conviction for killing Kehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh, all of one family, in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment by a mob.

The riots had taken place in the wake of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

Thirty-four years after the gruesome killings, the Delhi High Court on December 17 last year convicted and sentenced Sajjan Kumar to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life, holding that the violence was a "crime against humanity" engineered by politicians with assistance from police.

It had set aside Sajjan Kumar's acquittal along with five others saying the "criminals" escaped prosecution and punishment for over two decades.

Sajjan Kumar, in his appeal, has contended that the High Court verdict rested on "erroneous" grounds.

--IANS

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