<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court’s remark on the laxity of Delhi Police in prosecuting cases relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the national capital is a comment on the system of justice in the country. The court told the police that prosecution should be carried out “seriously and not just for the sake of it” as it has happened in hundreds of 1984 cases. Poor investigation and prosecution have resulted in miscarriage of justice in most of the cases. It is estimated that at least 2,733 people were killed during the riots that broke out after the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Only 587 FIRs were filed and of them, 240 cases were closed as “untraced.” About 250 cases resulted in acquittals. Even these numbers vary. There were only 39 convictions. It is an indictment of the system when only 39 convictions are awarded for the killing of over 2,700 people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court asked the police why it had failed to effectively appeal against the acquittals. It noted that filing Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) served no purpose unless the prosecution was pursued seriously. The court also pointed out that no senior lawyer was engaged to argue the matter. An SIT formed by the Supreme Court in 2018 on the basis of a PIL found that several investigations had been derailed. It is clear that Delhi Police was responsible for the neglect and indifference that resulted in this failure of justice; the negligence was also deliberate. It was only in May 2023 that a charge sheet was filed against Congress leader and former MP Jagdish Tytler who had, till then, managed to get away with clean chits for his role in the killings. The trial is still on. Another former MP, Sajjan Kumar, was convicted for a second time this week for his involvement in the killings. There is no good reason or justification for a 40-year delay in convictions in a criminal case. It is a matter of shame that convictions have not happened in hundreds of cases.</p>.Bracing for the AI boom.<p class="bodytext">The absence of evidence cited as a reason by the police cannot be accepted when there was a clear lack of intent on its part in pursuing the cases. No government in Delhi has been able to persuade the police to effectively investigate the cases. There is no doubt that the political nature of the cases has constrained the police. A system of justice is tested more by its response to mass killings than by how it addresses individual crimes. The failure in cases such as the 1984 riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots is collective; the system and society cannot evade responsibility.</p>
<p class="bodytext">The Supreme Court’s remark on the laxity of Delhi Police in prosecuting cases relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in the national capital is a comment on the system of justice in the country. The court told the police that prosecution should be carried out “seriously and not just for the sake of it” as it has happened in hundreds of 1984 cases. Poor investigation and prosecution have resulted in miscarriage of justice in most of the cases. It is estimated that at least 2,733 people were killed during the riots that broke out after the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. Only 587 FIRs were filed and of them, 240 cases were closed as “untraced.” About 250 cases resulted in acquittals. Even these numbers vary. There were only 39 convictions. It is an indictment of the system when only 39 convictions are awarded for the killing of over 2,700 people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The court asked the police why it had failed to effectively appeal against the acquittals. It noted that filing Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) served no purpose unless the prosecution was pursued seriously. The court also pointed out that no senior lawyer was engaged to argue the matter. An SIT formed by the Supreme Court in 2018 on the basis of a PIL found that several investigations had been derailed. It is clear that Delhi Police was responsible for the neglect and indifference that resulted in this failure of justice; the negligence was also deliberate. It was only in May 2023 that a charge sheet was filed against Congress leader and former MP Jagdish Tytler who had, till then, managed to get away with clean chits for his role in the killings. The trial is still on. Another former MP, Sajjan Kumar, was convicted for a second time this week for his involvement in the killings. There is no good reason or justification for a 40-year delay in convictions in a criminal case. It is a matter of shame that convictions have not happened in hundreds of cases.</p>.Bracing for the AI boom.<p class="bodytext">The absence of evidence cited as a reason by the police cannot be accepted when there was a clear lack of intent on its part in pursuing the cases. No government in Delhi has been able to persuade the police to effectively investigate the cases. There is no doubt that the political nature of the cases has constrained the police. A system of justice is tested more by its response to mass killings than by how it addresses individual crimes. The failure in cases such as the 1984 riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots is collective; the system and society cannot evade responsibility.</p>
