Regarding the 1984 Sikh riot case, the Central Government today (January 15, 2020) has told the Supreme Court that it has accepted Justice D.N. Dhingra Committee’s Report purportedly pointing out the “connivance” of the Delhi Police in not filing an appeal in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots’ cases.
Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, HS Phoolka on behalf of the victim petitioners said that the Supreme Court had appointed a fresh Special Investigation Team to look into the cases that took place in the 1984 riots which were not properly investigated into by the police. He said, “This SIT was constituted in 2018 headed by Justice SN Dhingra and the report was submitted by the committee. The matter has come up for hearing now. Looking at the report, the finding of the SIT shows that the prosecution, law and order and even the judiciary was paralyzed at the time. The complete judicial system was manipulated by the culprits, which is an eye-opener. Firstly, the police didn’t register FIRs when recommended by the committee, then they did not conduct proper investigation. In very few cases they filed a charge-sheet, though even in these cases they never produced eyewitnesses, where eyewitnesses appeared and named the culprits – the prosecution never asked them to identify the culprits who were present in the court. And all this while the judges hearing the matter, also remained silent spectators and did not ask the victims to identify the accused.”
Petitioner S. Gurlad Singh Kahlon of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, told the Supreme Court the report is crystal clear, some appeals should have been filed. “Though 25 years after acquittals, it is a tough task”, he said. The Supreme Court has allowed him to file a plea for directions.
The Apex Court had allowed a parole for four weeks to Balwan Khokhar, a co-convict of Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, for performing last rites and other rituals on the demise of his father.
