The Hindu : New Delhi News : Life imprisonment for killer of Krishna Sikand

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Life imprisonment for killer of Krishna Sikand

Staff Reporter

DAY OF JUDGMENT: Krishna Sikand murder case convict Lt-Col (Retd) S. J. Chaudhary at the Tis Hazari courts in Delhi on Saturday.

NEW DELHI: Rejecting the Central Bureau of Investigation contention that the case fell in the “rarest of the rare” category, a court here on Saturday awarded life imprisonment to a former Army officer convicted of killing Delhi businessman Krishna Sikand -- son of the Sikand Motors showroom owner H. D. Sikand -- using a parcel bomb.

Pronouncing the sentence against Lieutenant-Colonel (Retd) S. J. Chaudhary in a packed Tis Hazari courtroom, District and Sessions Judge Mamata Sehgal also slapped a fine of Rs.10,000 on the 70-year-old convict.

Soon after the verdict was pronounced, the retired Army officer told the court that it was “due to the media’s one-sided presentation of facts, as it had done in some other high-profile cases”, that he was facing life imprisonment.

On the other hand, speaking to media persons outside the court, Krishna Sikand’s young son said he was not happy with the verdict as he wanted the maximum punishment for the convict.

Convict’s counsel S. P. Minocha said his client would approach the Delhi High Court appealing against the conviction.

Earlier in the day, during arguments over the quantum of sentence, the CBI had sought death penalty for Col. Chaudhary saying it was a pre-planned murder executed against a defenceless person without provocation. However, the convict’s counsel opposed the contention saying there was a grave provocation that led to the incident: “There can be no bigger provocation for an Army officer than to know that a man was keeping his wife before the grant of divorce.”

The court had on April 28 held Col. Chaudhary guilty of killing 40-year-old Krishna Sikand at his residence in Delhi’s upmarket Sunder Nagar on October 2, 1982.

According to the CBI, Col. Chaudhary had used a hand-grenade of Pakistan make, seized by the Indian Army during the 1971 war, to eliminate Krishna Sikand.

While trial in the case had begun in 1984, it continued to drag for several years for various reasons.

Finally it was a desperate plea by 97-year-old H. D. Sikand in the High Court last year that led to the case being heard speedily. The petitioner had cited his advanced age and failing health, as also his human right to get speedy justice. He had prayed that he wanted justice for his dead son “before the end of my life”.

Taking the gravity of the plea into consideration, the High Court had ordered the trial court to spare “time before lunch” to hear the case. The trial court had told the petitioner that it did not have time as it was involved in day-to-day hearing of the much talked about Uphaar cinema fire tragedy case.

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