Life term for Sajjan

The wheels of justice move ever so slowly, but they do move. Over 40 years after the horrific anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar has been awarded life imprisonment in connection with the killings of a father and son on November 1, 1984. Has justice been served? Yes and no. The long arm of the law has shown that the high and mighty cannot escape its grip. Where it has failed — inexplicably and miserably — is the time it took to deliver justice, and the traumatic toll it took on the victims and their families. After their horrendous ordeal, they have been tested by the system again and again. It’s to their credit, and to the support of the lawyers who stood steadfast, that the fight for justice carries on in the face of huge odds.

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Healing the wounds of injustice is no easy task. A sense of closure would take a long time, especially when riot cases continue to linger even after four decades. On why he decided against capital punishment, the judge referred to 79-year-old Kumar’s age and illnesses. The verdict is likely to be challenged. This case, the judge pointed out, could be seen in continuity of the incident for which Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court in December 2018. He was then found guilty of having caused the death of five persons. It’s a sad and stark commentary on the judicial system that it took another six years to conclude a case of similar nature.

On a positive note, the guilty verdict, even if it comes very late in the day, is reassuring. It sends a message that all is not lost, that there is light at the end of the court tunnel.