1987 Hashimpura massacre case: Delhi High Court sentences 16 ex-cops to life imprisonment

The Delhi High Court sentenced 16 policemen to life imprisonment on Wednesday for killing 42 people of a minority community in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in Uttar Pradesh.

The high court held that the massacre was "targeted killing" of unarmed and defenceless people by the police.

A bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Vinod Goel reversed the trial court's verdict which had acquitted the accused.

The high court convicted 16 former Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel for murder and of kidnapping, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code.

The high court's verdict came on pleas challenging a trial court's decision to acquit 16 policemen of charges of murder and other crimes in the case.

The court also said that the families of the victims had to wait 31 years to get justice, and monetary relief cannot compensate for their loss.

All the 16 PAC personnel convicted in the Hashimpura massacre case have retired from service.