SC denies bail to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in 1984 case riots

New Delhi:The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to grant interim bail on medical grounds to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who is serving life imprisonment in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and also comprising Justices Indu Malhotra and Hrishikesh Roy, observed that there was no ground for hospitalisation, as reflected in the medical report submitted by the AIIMS Board. 

On March 4, the top court of the country had directed Kumar to appear before an AIIMS Board to determine whether his medical condition required hospitalisation. 

Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Kumar, submitted before the three-judge bench, ''If my client dies in jail tomorrow, his life sentence will automatically get converted into death penalty.''  

To this, the bench, which is conducting hearings through video-conferencing, said it was inclined to keep the bail pending as there was no urgent requirement for Mr Kumar to get hospitalised.

CJI Bobde further said that it would hear the regular bail application in July.Kumar is serving life imprisonment in Tihar jail in the case after the Delhi High Court convicted him on December 17, 2018.

The riots had broken out after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards.(UNI)