Case of 1984 anti-Sikh riots: SC requests CBI’s response to former councillor’s request for leave

NEW DELHI: On Friday, the Supreme Court requested an answer from the CBI over the furlough request made by former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, who is incarcerated for life in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A panel of Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol said that it may seek the appropriate authorities to make a decision while serving notice to the CBI.
Khokhar’s attorney said at his appearance that he is requesting a furlough in order to keep up social connections.

The court scheduled an additional hearing for April to address the problem.
In addition to Khokhar, Sajjan Kumar, a former Congress MP, is imprisoned for life in this case. Mahender Yadav, an ex-MLA who was given a 10-year term, passed away at Mandoli prison from COVID-19.
As of December 17, 2018, Sajjan Kumar and Balwan Khokhar are being held in Tihar prison after their conviction.
The Delhi High Court reversed the trial court’s 2013 decision to acquit Kumar and affirmed Khokhar’s life sentence in 2018.
The case concerns the burning down of a gurdwara in Raj Nagar Part-II and the murder of five Sikhs on November 1–2, 1984, at Raj Nagar Part-I in Palam Colony, southwest Delhi.
After Indira Gandhi, the prime leader of the time, was killed on October 31, 1984, by her two Sikh bodyguards, anti-Sikh rioting broke out.