SC refuses interim bail to Sajjan Kumar

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 14

The Supreme Court today refused to grant interim bail to former Delhi Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, serving life sentence in a case relating to 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Kumar has been in jail since December 31, 2018, when he surrendered after being convicted and awarded life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.

“There are cases. But this case is different and you (Kumar) have been convicted by the HC… You argue at length during summer vacation,” a Bench headed by CJI SA Bobde told senior advocate Vikas Singh after he said Kumar had lost 13 kg weight in 13 months and needed to be attended to by a private doctor.

As Singh handed over a sealed medical report on Kumar’s health to the court, the Bench said it would consider the report when Kumar’s bail plea was taken up for hearing.

On behalf of riot victims, senior counsel Dushyant Dave referred to two men convicted of hate crimes in the US post 9/11 who were awarded death penalty for murder within six months and their plea for commuting death penalty was rejected.

“Here 4,000 people were slaughtered (during Anti-Sikh riots) and 2,000 people were killed during Gujarat riots… Here an MP was involved and the FIR was registered after 21 years…,” Dave told the Bench.

The SC had on November 6 last year directed AIIMS Director to set up a medical board to examine the health of Kumar, who is seeking his release on bail. It had asked the AIIMS Director to submit the board’s report in four weeks.

Kumar (73) has requested the SC to hear his bail plea, which has been hanging fire for several months.