1984 Anti-Sikh Riots Case: HC grants relief to convict on Medical Grounds

On Monday, the Delhi High Court granted relief to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case convict Naresh Sehrawat by allowing his plea seeking interim suspension of sentence for three months on medical grounds.

A bench of Justices Manmohan and Sanjeev Narula suspended Sehrawat's sentence for a period of twelve weeks from the date of release, asking him to furnish a personal bond and surety bond of Rs 20,000 each.

Sehrawat filed his plea through advocate Dharam Raj Ohlan, seeking interim suspension of sentence for three months on the ground that the petitioner needs to undergo liver and kidney transplant simultaneously at the earliest.

On May 19 and May 26, the Delhi High Court had directed the petitioner to be produced before the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) hospital for medical check-up and treatment. The court noted that the petitioner is a chronic kidney disease, stage-IV patient, and is admitted to the medicine ward of the Central Jail hospital and is highly vulnerable to a contagious disease like COVID-19.

Sehrawat was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court. He along with Yashpal Singh was convicted by a trial court for murder, attempt to murder, dacoity, and voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons.

Sehrawat and Yashpal Singh were accused of killing Hardev Singh and Avtar Singh in the Mahipalpur area of south Delhi during the riots that followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The police lodged a case on a complaint by the victim's brother Santokh Singh. However, in 1994, the police intended to close the case citing a lack of evidence. The case was reopened by the Special Investigation Team.

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