Noting that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were a “dark chapter in the history of independent India,” the Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld the convictio...

Noting that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were a “dark chapter in the history of independent India,” the Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of 70 persons on the charges of rioting, burning houses and violating curfew in the Trilokpuri area in the national capital. The riots took place after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Justice R.K. Gauba dismissed the appeals of the convicts against the August 27, 1996, judgment of a sessions court here, sending 89 persons to jail for five years. The judge said: “Thirty-four years have passed, yet the victims await justice and closure.” Of the 89, 16 died during the pendency of the trial before the High Court, which dragged on for 22 years. The court dismissed the appeal of three more convicts who absconded during the trial. “The manner of prosecution of the case at hand would undoubtedly go down in the judicial history of this country as an example of criminal law process that must never be emulated,” the High Court said

Why did the Delhi High Court describe the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as a ‘dark chapter in the history of independent India’?