In a case of murder related to the 1984 anti -Sikh riots in Delhi, the prosecution on Tuesday appealed for the death penalty for former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar and called it a ‘rare’ crime.
In a written affidavit filed by the prosecution, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja was informed about the argument. The minimum punishment for murder is life imprisonment.
Kumar’s lawyer sought time to debate the case, after which the judge postponed the hearing of the case till 21 February that the lawyer would not work on Tuesday in protest against the Advocate Amendment Bill 2025.
The complainant’s lawyer senior advocate HS Phulka supported the demand for the death penalty of the prosecution and sought time for the debate. Kumar is currently lodged in Tihar Jail.
Jaswant Singh and his son Tarundeep Singh were murdered on November 1, 1984.
The Punjabi Bagh police station had registered a case in connection with the murder, but later a special investigation team took responsibility for the investigation.
The court framed charges against Kumar on 16 December 2021 and found a ‘prima facie’ case against him.
Kumar, who was an influential leader and MP of the then Congress, was accused in the murder of five people in Delhi’s Palam Colony on November 1 and 2 in 1984.
The Delhi High Court sentenced him to life imprisonment in this case and his appeal challenging the sentence is pending in the Supreme Court.
