Jharkhand HC Appoints New One-Man Commission for 1984 Sikh Riots Compensation

Jamshedpur: In a major development regarding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the Jharkhand High Court has appointed retired Justice Gautam Kumar Choudhary to head a one-man commission. The commission will oversee compensation distribution to victims and monitor all pending criminal cases related to the riots.

Court Order and Background A division bench comprising Chief Justice S.M. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar passed the order during a hearing for a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). Satnam Singh Gambhir, President (Eastern India) of the All India Sikh Students Federation, filed the petition to secure fair compensation and judicial monitoring for the victims.

The court directed the new commission to:

• Examine all claims submitted by victims.

• Verify the authenticity of each claim.

• Submit a detailed report to the court to determine further compensation steps.

Replacing the Defunct Commission According to Gambhir, the death of former Justice D.P. Singh on March 8 rendered the previous commission defunct, necessitating this new appointment.

While the government has already compensated many affected individuals, several more victims have recently approached the court for relief. Justice Choudhary’s commission will now scrutinize these fresh claims and assess their validity before presenting the final findings to the bench.