1984 anti-Sikh riots: Delhi High Court upholds sentencing of convicts

New Delhi, Nov 28: The Delhi High court on Wednesday upheld the death sentence of all 88 accused in the decades-old 1984 anti-Sikh riots case that took place in East Delhi's Trilokpuri area and directed all the accused to surrender within four weeks. The high court dismissed the review petition filed by 88 people who had been convicted by a lower court.

The convicts had challenged the August 27, 1996 judgment of a Sessions Court which had convicted 88 out of the 107 people arrested on November 2, 1984 for rioting, burning houses and curfew violation in Trilokpuri area of East Delhi.

Following the assassination of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, over 3,000 Sikhs were killed across the country, with the most being killed in Delhi.

The Delhi Patiala House Court had earlier awarded death sentence to Yashpal Singh and handed another convict Naresh Sherawat life imprisonment for their role in 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The verdict was pronounced in Tihar Jail due to security concerns.

Singh and Sherawat were convicted on November 15 for killing two Sikh youths in Delhi's Mahipalpur area after the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The Delhi Police had closed the case in 1994 for want of evidence. However, a Special Investigation Team on the riots reopened it.