The Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of 88 convicts in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi
The 88 convicts had been arrested in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri area and had been sentenced to 5-year jail terms each by a trial court in 1996.
The 88 convicts had been held guilty of rioting, burning houses and curfew violations by the trial court.
Justice RK Gauba, who was hearing the case, has directed all the 88 convicts to surrender within four weeks.
The convicts had challenged the August 27, 1996 judgement of a Sessions Court which had convicted 88 out of the 107 people arrested on November 2, 1984 for rioting, burning houses and curfew violation in Trilokpuri area of East Delhi
Dismissing their petition, the Delhi High Court said that all those convicted must serve the 5-year jail term.
Speaking to the media after the court hearing, lawyer HS Phoolka said that the court was critical of the fact that despite 95 bodies being recovered from the area, charges of murder under section 302 of the IPC had not been levied against the convicts.
He said that the court also directed the Police Commissioner to identify 22 of the recovered bodies and to lodge cases of murder.
Phoolka said that the court also recommended that the Commission of Inquiry Act be amended to ensure justice is provided to victims of criminal violence cases.
He said that the court observed that whenever the name of a politician gets involved in such cases, the inquiry usually gets derailed or is not done properly.
He said that the court recommended that legal aid services also be provided to victims of criminal violence.
