The Supreme Court was informed by the Centre on Monday that trials in several cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were conducted in a way that predominantly led to the acquittal of the accused, rather than convictions.
During a session presided over by Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing both the Centre and Delhi Police, conveyed the outcomes of various appeals lodged against these acquittals. According to Bhati, although these appeals were indeed filed, they were dismissed due to delays.
Highlighting the efforts of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed under the leadership of former Delhi High Court judge S N Dhingra, Bhati noted that the SIT was constituted by the apex court on January 11, 2018, to probe 186 riot-related cases. The team subsequently recommended appealing against the acquittals in numerous instances. However, despite filing eight appeals, as per the latest status report by the Delhi Police, all were dismissed by the Delhi High Court, with some decisions even upheld by the Supreme Court.
“The records clearly indicate that many cases were tried in such a manner that they resulted in acquittals,” Bhati stated. She emphasized that the Centre pursued appeals as advised by the SIT, reflecting ongoing judicial efforts to address the cases.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, expressed a need to review the Centre’s status report in detail, which it noted was unlocated during the hearing. The matter has been scheduled for further hearing next Monday.
The plea under review was initiated by Gurlad Singh Kahlon, represented by advocates Amarjeet Singh Bedi and Gaganmeet Singh Sachdeva, who have urged the implementation of the SIT’s recommendations.
This year marks over four decades since the devastating events of the 1984 riots, which led to the deaths of 2,733 people according to the Nanavati Commission report. The report further highlighted that of the 587 FIRs registered in Delhi, nearly 240 cases were closed as “untraced” and about 250 resulted in acquittals.
Notably, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) only recently, in May 2023, charged Congress leader Jagdish Tytler for his alleged involvement in the deaths of three individuals during the riots, marking a significant but prolonged move towards accountability.
