Delayed vindication of justice: Arun Jaitley on Sajjan Kumar's conviction in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today hailed the life sentence given to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

"Sajjan Kumar’s conviction by the Delhi High Court is a delayed vindication of Justice. The Congress and the Gandhi family legacy will continue to pay for the sins of 1984 riots," Jaitley tweeted on Monday after the Delhi High Court verdict.

The high court reversed the verdict of the trial court which had acquitted Kumar. He has to surrender by December 31, 2018.

Besides Congress' Sajjan Kumar, Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Kishan Khokkar and former legislator Mahender Yadav have been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel had on October 29 concluded hearing arguments on the appeals filed by the CBI, riots victims and the convicts, and reserved the judgement.

Former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, retired naval officer Captain Bhagmal, Girdhari Lal and two others were held guilty in the case relating to the murder of five members of a family in Raj Nagar area of Delhi Cantonment on November 1, 1984 after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.