SC grants bail to 33 in anti-Sikh riots

New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to 33 persons convicted concurrently by the Delhi High Court and trial court and sentenced to five years inpriosnment for rioting and arson during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Trilokpuri area.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi granted bail to the convicts. Soliticor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the government's petition seeking review of earlier decision by the apex court's quashing concurrent convictions of seven persons in anti-Sikh riots case was also pending and it would not be prudent to grant bail to these 33 convicts, as well.

The 33 accused have moved the bail plea citing top court's order in the case on April 30 acquitting the other accused in the case. "Taking into account the period of custody suffered and the period for which the accused-appellants have been sentenced, we are of the view that the accused-appellants should be enlarged on bail to the satisfaction of the learned trial Court," the bench had said.

The Delhi Police had filed a review on the acquittal of these people.

On November 28, 2018, the Delhi High Court upheld a trial court conviction of 89 people for rioting and other offences, burning houses and breaching curfew in Trilokpuri in east Delhi during the riots that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The High Court had dismissed appeals of the convicts who had challenged an August 27, 1996 judgement of a Sessions Court which had convicted the 89.

Convicting all the 89, the trial court had sentenced them to five years in jail. Among the 89 some died during the trial and the case against them has abated.