Former three-time Member of Parliament Sajjan Kumar passed away on Thursday after experiencing severe health complications while serving a life sentence in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. Sources from the Safdarjung hospital disclosed that the 80-year-old politician died of brought dead on arrival.
Sajjan Kumar remained a key figure throughout the legal battles post the anti-Sikh riots of November 1984, which had erupted following the killing of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The Delhi High Court quashed a previous trial court verdict in December 2018, convicting Kumar for criminal conspiracy and instigating violence in Delhi’s Raj Nagar area, where five people from one family lost their lives and the local gurudwara was set ablaze.
Conviction and life sentence: In December 17, 2018, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, resulting in his surrender and imprisonment in Tihar Jail.
Subsequent sentences: In February 2025, he was awarded another life imprisonment by a special court in the Saraswati Vihar murder case, where Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh met their untimely end.
Legal relief: He continued filing petitions for bail and interim relief citing increasing age and ill-health through his entire period of incarceration.
Verdicts in mixed trials at court and political scrutiny
The criminal record of Kumar in various Delhi courts involved a number of shifting verdicts over many years.
Early in 2026, the Rouse Avenue court found Kumar not guilty of any charges in connection with instigation of violence in the Janakpuri and Vikaspuri localities. The Delhi High Court, then, issued notices on the appeals against the acquittal verdicts.
Although Kumar used to be a prominent politician within the Indian National Congress as a member representing the Outer Delhi constituency, the eventual outcome of the cases made him resign from the party and political life altogether.
