JUSTICE IS ALIVE

On 31 October 1984, India’s former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated at her New Delhi residence. Four men were involved in the killing. Her security guards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, fired the shots. Beant Singh was immediately shot dead by other guards, while Satwant Singh was arrested. The other two, Kehar Singh and Balbir Singh, were accused of planning and conspiring in the murder. The three men were put on trial. On 22 January 1986, Delhi’s Additional Judge Mahesh Chandra announced his verdict, sentencing Satwant Singh, Kehar Singh, and Balbir Singh to death. The case then went to the High Court. On 3 December 1986, the Delhi High Court confirmed the death sentences for all three. The men appealed to the Supreme Court, which delivered its unanimous judgment on 3 August 1988. The three-judge bench included Justice G.L. Oza, Justice S.C. Agrawal, and Justice B.C. Ray.

The Supreme Court upheld the death sentences of Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh but fully acquitted Balbir Singh. No direct evidence linked him to the murder. For example, the prosecution argued that Indira Gandhi was killed because Sikhs were angry over Operation Blue Star, and that Balbir Singh had been heard talking of revenge. Addressing this, Justice Oza wrote that if anger or protest over Operation Blue Star were taken as evidence, then all Sikhs upset about the operation would have to be treated as conspirators. Justice Oza further observed that it is preferable to err by releasing a person than by unjustly punishing him, stating: “It is safer to err in acquitting than in convicting.”

It’s enough to quote only Balbir Singh’s remark about this incident. He said, “I had no hope of getting justice, but now I am convinced that justice is alive in this country.”