1984 riots convict’s plea to extend interim bail infructuous: Delhi HC

HC HAD ON JUNE 1 SUSPENDED BY 12 WEEKS LIFE SENTENCE OF NARESH SEHRAWAT WHO WAS SUFFERING FROM KIDNEY AILMENT

NEWDELHI: THE Delhi high court on Friday said the plea by one of the 1984 anti-sikh riots convicts, who was awarded life imprisonment, for extension of interim bail is infructuous in view of the full court’s order extending such relief till October 31 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

A bench of justices JR Midha and Brijesh Sethi noted that the full bench of the high court headed by Chief Justice DN Patel has already extended till October 31, all the interim orders, which were to expire on or after August 31, in cases before it to prevent spread of Covid-19 infection among jail inmates from someone who returns after expiry of his/her interim bail or parole.

“The application seeking extension of interim bail is infructuous in view of the full bench order,” the court said.

The HC had on June 1 suspended by 12 weeks the life term sentence of convict Naresh Sehrawat who was suffering from chronic kidney ailment.

During the hearing, advocate Kamna Vohra, appearing for the state, said following the full bench order, she was not opposing the plea for extension of interim bail.

However, she pointed out that Sehrawat has not placed any follow-up treatment record before the court.

On June 1, while granting relief to Sehrawat, the HC had noted that he had chronic kidney disease and was vulnerable. He had sought interim suspension of sentence for three months on the ground that he needed to undergo liver and kidney transplant simultaneously.

An SIT was earlier set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs to reinvestigate the riot cases. The trial court had awarded death penalty to convict Yashpal Singh and life term to Naresh Sehrawat for killing two men in 1984 riots.