The Hindu : New Delhi News : High Court refuses to stay trial proceedings against Sajjan

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High Court refuses to stay trial proceedings against Sajjan

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to stay trial proceedings in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case of Sultanpuri in North-West Delhi against former MP from Outer Delhi Sajjan Kumar.

Trial in the case is to begin from August 23. A Delhi court had framed charges of murder, spreading enmity between two communities and rioting against Sajjan Kumar and his co-accused in the case last month.

Sajjan Kumar sought a stay on the trial till his petition challenging the framing of charges was decided by the Court. However, Justice A. K. Pathak issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation asking it to file a reply to the petition by September 16.

As many as six persons were killed in the riots in the area.

The other accused in the case are Brahmanand Gupta, Peru, Kushal Singh and Ved Prakash.

Sajjan Kumar's main contention for quashing of the charges framed against him is that he has already been tried and acquitted in the case. The investigating agency had reopened the case, the petition says.

His plea is that there is a delay of as many as 26 years in his prosecution in the case.

The High Court had last month dismissed a petition by Sajjan Kumar challenging framing of charges against him by a trial court here in another anti-Sikh riot case in the Delhi Cantonment area. However, the Supreme Court later stayed the trial in this case for two weeks earlier this month.

Riots had broken out across the Capital in the wake of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. The cases against Sajjan Kumar were registered on a recommendation by the Nanavati Commission in 2005.

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