Overview

• A bench of Justices Subramanium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar set aside the 1986 acquittal and ordered a retrial against the sole surviving accused, abating proceedings for three deceased individuals
• Invoking the Abhai Raj Singh precedent, the court directed reconstruction of the weeded-out records for Sessions Cases 31 and 32 to restore missing trial files
• The Central Bureau of Investigation has been instructed to carry out an expedited re-probe on a best-efforts basis to gather remaining evidence and witness testimonies
• Authorities must widely publicize existing government compensation schemes for 1984 riot victims, verify claims within 16 weeks of filing and disburse awards within two months
• The matter is listed for further hearing on September 1, 2025, to review progress on record reconstruction and the CBI’s renewed investigation