New Delhi, December 18: Congress leader and one of the convicts in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, Sajjan Kumar today resigned from the primary membership of the party. Yesterday, he was convicted by the Delhi High court in the case. The Delhi HC set aside the lower court order which acquitted Kumar. The high court also sentenced the Congress leader to life imprisonment. The case was heard by a bench comprising of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel. Sajjan Kumar Convicted in 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case, Delhi High Court Sentences Congress Leader to Life Imprisonment.

While pronouncing the verdict, the bench said, “In the summer of 1947, during partition, several people were massacred. 37 years later Delhi was the witness of a similar tragedy. The accused enjoyed political patronage and escaped trial.” Kumar was asked to surrender before December 31, 2018. Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar were also sentenced to life imprisonment. Meanwhile, Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav were given to 10 years imprisonment. 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case: In Emotional Verdict Convicting Sajjan Kumar, Delhi HC Judge Says 'They Were Mass Killings Engineered by Political Actors'

The case relates to the killing of five people in the Delhi Cantonment area after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The Delhi HC had in October reserved its order on the CBI plea that challenged the trial's court judgment acquitting Sajjan Kumar and convicting five others. Sajjan Kumar and five others were tried for the killing of five Sikhs - Kehar Singh, Raghuvender Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Narender Pal Singh and Kuldeep Singh - in Delhi Cantonment's Raj Nagar area. The case was registered in 2005 following a recommendation by the Justice GT Nanavati Commission.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2018 11:45 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).