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Sajjan Kumar Fugitive From
Justice, But When Will He Be Behind Bars?
WSN Bureau
 NEW DELHI: Noose
is tightening around mass killer Sajjan Kumar, one of the top
politicians of India's ruling Congress party. After failing to
secure anticipatory bail from any court, Sajjan Kumar is now running
from pillar to post to escape arrest for his role in the killings of
hundreds of Sikhs in 1984.
His shenanigans,
however, have not been liked by the
Delhi
court hearing the case of murder against him. The Sikh community had
initially hoped that Sajjan Kumar will be arrested immediately but
the CBI, the top investigating agency of India, does not seem to be
in any hurry to bring the guilty to the book.
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Fate Hangs In
Balance
Sajjan Kumar's
fate hangs in balance as the Karkardooma
Court in
Delhi has listed the case hearing at 1400 hours Indian time on
Wednesday. The case is being heard at Court Number 29.
CBI had
chargesheeted 13 people, including Sajjan Kumar, on January 13 in
two separate 1984 massacre cases for allegedly making provocative
speeches, leading to the killing of 12 people in the violence that
broke out following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi. The probe agency had filed the chargesheets in the court
after concluding its investigation into the cases registered on the
recommendation of Nanavati Commission in 2005.
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Unfortunately
for Sajjan Kumar, the court came down heavily against the Central
Bureau of Investigation for "not being serious in apprehending" the
man who has been escaping the jaws of justice for 25 years now. Now,
it has directed the director of the agency to personally supervise
the arrest of the killer.
Activists who
are following the case very diligently minced no words in saying
that the Central government seems to be clearly helping the accused,
and its behaviour is very much in keeping with the pattern that has
been seen in the last 25 years.
While it is
understandable that the action against Sajjan Kumar will thoroughly
embarrass the ruling Congress party, what is not clear are the
reasons as to why such an established party continues to patronise
the man who is widely believed to be killer of hundreds of innocent
young men and women.
"So far as the
ground work is concerned, CBI does not seem to be serious enough in
appre- hending the accused. CBI wants to complete only paper work.
These are all stereotype reports," Additional Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma said, when the probe agency claimed
it tried its best to arrest the 64-year-old politician and others in
the case.
The reasons
given by the CBI have been received with the kind of contempt that
they actually deserved. The investigating agency, which arrested one
of the 12 accused, submitted that it conducted raids at Sajjan
Kumar's residence four times after the warrant was issued against
him on February 17 but failed to apprehend him. It pleaded that a
notice be issued to declare the former MP and other accused as
absconders.
The court,
however, was not satisfied by CBI's contention and issued fresh
non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against the accused, while directing
the CBI director to supervise execution of the order.
"There is a
slight suspicion on the genuineness of effort of CBI," the court
said, adding: "Is this the manner (in which) CBI functions? Where
have all the accused gone?" The remarks of the court came after the
CBI submitted that it had conducted raids at the residences of the
accused but failed to apprehend them.
The
investigating agency, however, managed to arrest Girdhari Lal, one
of the 12 accused, who was remanded to judicial custody till March
9.
Interestingly,
Sajjan Kumar's advocate I.U. Khan opposed the fresh warrant by
saying that he was not going to run away. This about a man who has
been running away from the process of law for a quarter-century.
Earlier, Justice
A K Pathak, hearing Sajjan Kumar's anticipatory bail plea, had
refused to restrain the CBI from arresting him till Monday as
pleaded by the former MP's counsel.
Advocate H S
Phoolka, who has been relentlessly pursuing the case of justice for
the victims, said there were several possibilities that would be
open to the court now. He said the court may even declare Sajjan
Kumar a proclaimed offender. If indeed such a thing were to happen,
it would be a cause of huge embarrassment for the Congress party.
24
February 2010
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