Delhi HC to hear arguments in five anti-Sikh riot cases

NEWDELHI: The Delhi high court on Monday said it would start hearing arguments from July 11 in five cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, wherein the court had earlier indicated that it was inclined to re-opening the trial.

A division bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice Anu Malhotra said arguments in all the five cases would be heard separately.

On March 29, the high court terming the acquittal of all the accused by a trial court here in 1986 as “shocking our judicial conscience”, had issued the show-cause notices to the accused in five cases, asking them why the cases against them should not be re-opened.

The court took suo motu cognisance of the five cases, observing that key eyewitnesses were not examined and cases were closed “very rapidly” without proper investigation and trial.

Balwan Singh Khokkar, one of the accused in the cases and currently lodged in the Tihar Central Jail, was produced before the court.

When court asked him whether he has urged the court to appoint a lawyer to represent him, Khokhar replied he has no lawyer, adding: “Sajjan’s (Kumar, Congress leader) advocates ruined my life. I have lost my property, everything... I don’t have money for a lawyer.”

However, he later said that he will hire a lawyer for himself before next date of hearing. The investigating officer informed the court that eight accused in the case have died, so proceedings against them were closed.

The court asked police to place on record death certificates of deceased persons before it. One of the complainants appeared before the court.