New Delhi, December 17: Congress leader Sajjan Kumar has been convicted by the Delhi High Court in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case on Monday. The court today reversed the acquittal of Kumar in the case. The court also sentenced the Congress leader to life imprisonment. "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," said the bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel. Kumar has been asked to surrender before December 31, 2018. Reports say that while the verdict was being delivered, both the petitioners' lawyer as well as the judge were in tears.

Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar have also been sentenced to life imprisonment. Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

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 recommendation by the Justice GT Nanavati Commission.

The conviction of Sajjan Kumar comes at a time when the Congress is also facing ire on the social media for making Kamal Nath, alleged of playing a role in the anti-Sikh riots, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.

Reactions on Delhi HC Verdict

Reacting to the verdict, the Shiromani Akali Dal attacked the Congress. "We thank the court for giving us justice. Our fight will continue till Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler get a death sentence & Gandhi family is dragged to the court & put in jail," said SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took on the Congress on Twitter soon after the verdict. "Sajjan Kumar’s conviction by the Delhi High Court is a delayed vindication of Justice. The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of 1984 riots," Jaitley tweeted. "Justice for the victims of 1984 was buried by the Congress – the NDA restored fairness and accountability," he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "I welcome Delhi High Court verdict convicting Sajjan Kumar in 1984 riots case. It has been a very long n painful wait for innocent victims who were murdered by those in power. Nobody involved in any riot should be allowed to escape no matter how powerful the individual maybe."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 17, 2018 10:39 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).