Citing delay, HC rejects plea against acquittal in Sikh riots

THE Delhi High Court has denied permission to the state to appeal the acquittal of three accused in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, citing an "inordinate" delay of over 27 years.

The court was asked to condone the delay of 10,165 days in filing the appeal, but a bench comprising Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma ruled on October 21 that the lapse of time could not be excused.

While acknowledging the scale of loss during the 1984 violence, which followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the court held that the delay was simply too long to overlook.

The original acquittal was issued by a trial court on July 29, 1995, in a case involving charges of murder and rioting.