:dateline:Announcing the decision on a 29 year old case, the District and Session Court Judge JR Aryan awarded life imprisonment to Balwan Khokhar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Mal.� The three were held responsible for the killings of 5 Sikhs in the Delhi genocide of 1984.
Two other convicts Mahindra Yadav and Kishan Khokhar who were accused of�inciting�a riotous mob were sentenced to 3 years imprisonment, but were later released on bail. The judge has imposed a fine of Rs. 1000 on all five of the accused.
Ironically, the key suspect in the case, Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, was acquitted by the court on 30 April due to a lack of sufficient evidence against him. These men are said to be close associates of Kumar.
The 5 deceased Sikhs belonged to the Rajnagar area of Delhi cantonment and were killed by mobs after the assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi. Their names were Lehar Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Raghuwinder Singh, Narinderpal Singh and Kuldeep Singh.
Although RS Cheema (Lawyer for the CBI) demanded the death penalty for Balwan Khokhar, Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal for conducting the riots in a shrewd manner, the�court has sentenced them to life imprisonment instead.
