Further probe in 1984 riots case against Jagdish Tytler, court to CBI

New Delhi: A Delhi court has ordered further investigation into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct further investigations and refused to accept the closure report that gives Tytler a clean chit.

Laler had reserved the order on October 30 after hearing arguments of counsel for CBI and the riots victim on the issue of whether to accept the closure report. The riot victims have filed a protest petition against the clean chit given thrice to Tytler by CBI, claiming there was ample evidence to prosecute him and accused the agency of favouring him.

Complainant Lakhvinder Kaur, whose husband Badal Singh was killed in the riots, in her protest petition had challenged the closure report and sought the court's direction to CBI to investigate the matter further to bring on record available "incriminating evidence" against the accused. Seeking dismissal of the protest petition of riot victims, CBI had said during its probe, it was established that Tytler "was not involved in the incident of attack which took place at Gurudwara Pulbangash on November 1, 1984".

The agency had described Tytler as "innocent" and said it cannot "falsely implicate an innocent person" merely on the basis of charged sentiments and to satisfy the ego of some. Senior advocate HS Phoolka, representing the victims, has also sought court's direction to CBI to lodge an FIR against Tytler for the offences of influencing witness and hawala transactions.

CBI prosecutor PK Srivastava had argued that arms dealer Abhishek Verma, who was examined as witness by the CBI, was not a "credible witness" and on the basis of his statement, no case of influencing witness and making hawala transactions can be lodged against Tytler.

The main case pertains to riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in north Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984, a day after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. CBI had re-investigated the case of killing of Badal Singh, Thakur Singh and Gurcharan Singh near the gurudwara after a court had in December 2007 refused to accept the closure report. Tytler has denied any role in the riots.