'I am in state of shock'; Sajjan Kumar tells HC

He seeks 30 addl days to settle family affairs

Former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar on Thursday moved the Delhi High Court seeking additional 30 days to surrender, saying he was in a state of "shock and surprise" with the verdict overturning his acquittal in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case and wanted time to settle family affairs.

The application could be taken up for consideration on Friday.

Kumar said he has a large family and have to settle issue of inheritance as well. He said he has one son, two daughters, besides one brother and three sisters and a large number of friends and relatives.

The high court had on December 12 sentenced him to jail for the remainder of life in a case related to the killing of five persons in 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He was told to surrender by December 31.

In his plea, Kumar, who resigned from primary membership of Congress party, sought time till January 30 to surrender to serve the sentence.

He said, "it would not be possible to settle family affairs, including that of properties, within a short span of time."

Kumar, who is 73-year-old, wanted more time also to file an appeal before the Supreme Court which is on a winter break. He said at present most of the senior counsel are out on vacation. He is likely to seek stay on the high court verdict till the pendency of his appeal.

A division bench of the high court had held Kumar guilty after reversing his acquittal by a Delhi court in 2013. The high court found that Kumar escaped prosecution all these years due to political patronage facilitated by the law enforcement agencies.

The high court also held the mass killings in Delhi and elsewhere in November 1984 were in fact crimes against humanity.

Meanwhile, Jagdish Kaur, a key witness in the case, moved the Supreme Court with a caveat urging the court to hear her before granting any relief to Kumar.