Supreme Court Declines Interim Bail To 1984 Riots Accused Ex-Congress MP Sajjan Kumar

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, refused to grant interim bail to former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The apex court Bench comprising Chief Justice of India, Justice SA Bobde, Justices Indu Malhotra and Hrishikesh Roy ruled that as per the medical report submitted by the board of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), there were no grounds for hospitalization which warranted bail.

The former Congress MP was represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh. Arguing for the Centre, Solicitor-General of India, Tushar Mehta submitted to the court that the case was one of genocide and that Sajjan Kumar had been leading a mob. The Bench led by CJI SA Bobde is reported to have observed that there was no ground for institutionalization as per the report submitted by the AIIMS board.

On March 4, the Supreme Court had ordered Sajjan Kumar to submit himself before a AIIMS Board which would then decide whether his condition would require hospitalization. The apex court directed the AIIMS board to submit its report within a week.

The former Congress MP moved a bail application seeking urgent hearing on health grounds. Sajjan Kumar's lawyer had informed the court that the former Congress MP was suffering from a life-threatening condition which necessitated urgent medical treatment.