Delhi Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena, has approved the filing of a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s July 10 verdict, which acquitted six accused individuals in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot case.

The incident involved looting and rioting during the anti-Sikh riots that occurred in the Saraswati Vihar police station area in northwest Delhi. The accused in the case who were acquitted are: Hari Lal, Mangal, Dharampal, Azad, Om Prakash, and Abdul Habib, as Indian Express reported.

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Saxena slammed the Delhi government’s prosecution department for a purported “callous delay” in handling the matter. He directed the Home Department to identify and hold accountable the officials responsible for the delay, seeking a report within seven days, as per officials of the LG’s

The L-G supported the Home Department’s proposal to file a special leave petition in the top court against the High Court’s decision that dismissed the government’s appeal challenging the trial court’s acquittal of all the accused.

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‘1984 Anti-Sikh riots’

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also termed as the 1984 Sikh massacre, were a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

Government estimates indicated that around 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi, with 3,350 deaths nationwide. However, other sources estimate the death toll at about 8,000.

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This riot occurred after Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984, which triggered a chain of organized anti-Sikh riots across several parts of India, most notably in Delhi. These riots led to a surge of violence primarily targeting the Sikh community.

Mobs went on rampages, looting, burning Sikh homes, businesses, and Gurudwaras (Sikh temples), mercilessly attacking and killing innocent Sikhs. The riots resulted in an overwhelming loss of lives and properties within the Sikh community.

(With PTI Inputs)