Sajjan Kumar to be sentenced on Feb 25

A Delhi court is set to pronounce the quantum of sentence against former Congress parliamentarian Sajjan Kumar on February 25 following his conviction in the murder of a father and his son in Delhi's Saraswati Vihar during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

- Arnabjit Sur

NEW DELHI:

Special Judge Kaweri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court on Friday directed Kumar's legal team to file written submissions within two days and scheduled the sentencing date. Kumar, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, attended the proceedings via video conference.

Kumar is already serving a life sentence following his 2018 conviction by the Delhi High Court in a separate case related to the anti-Sikh riots.

The court has also sought a psychiatric and psychological evaluation report from Tihar jail authorities, citing a Supreme Court ruling that mandates such an assessment before considering the punishment of death penalty.

Earlier this week, the prosecution filed written submissions demanding the death penalty, arguing that Kumar's role in the riots amounted to genocide and ethnic cleansing. Additional Public Prosecutor Manish Rawat emphasized that Kumar's prior conviction in a similar case underscores the need for capital punishment, as life imprisonment would be insufficient for the gravity of his crimes against humanity.