1984 Sikh riots: Delhi court directs CBI to expedite investigation in Jagdish Tytler case

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Court has directed CBI to expedite investigation into a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which Congress leader Jagdish Tytler has been given clean chit for his alleged role, saying that the matter is of sensitive nature.nnCBI informed Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Amit Arora that lie detector test of controversial businessman Abhishek Verma, who volunteered to support the case by deposing as a witness, was conducted last December but that report could not be finalised due to non-availability of scientists.nnThe court asked the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to expedite the process of finalising the report and granted it two weeks time and listed the matter for hearing on March 8.nnFiling a regular status report, in a sealed cover, on further investigation in the case the CBI also informed the court that they had received some queries from the Canadian government to which they have replied and are not waiting for the response.nnThe court had earlier asked the CBI to write to the Canadian high commission in New Delhi for information regarding the casennas one of the key witnesses has been residing in Canada.nnSenior advocate H S Phoolka, who has been representing the riots victim, has claimed that witnesses were influenced and there was evidence of one of the key witnesses being sent to Canada, allegedly at the behest of Tytler and they would try to bring him back.nnHe had told the court earlier that Tytler had sent Narinder Singh, son of witness Surinder Singh, to Canada and through him the Congress leader was putting pressure on his father to change the statement and depose in his favour.nnIn June 2015, Verma had deposed before the CBI that Tytler had told him in 2008 he had met the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after which he got a clean chit by the CBI over his alleged role in the riots case.nnIn his statement as a witness recorded by the CBI during a probe, Verma, an accused in the naval war room leak and other cases including cheating and forgery, had said Tytler had also told him that a deal was struck and a hefty amount was paid to a riots case witness, who had deposed against him.nnThe CBI’s move seeking permission to conduct polygraph test on Tytler and Verma had come in view of the court’s December 4, 2015 order in which it was mentioned that the lie-detection test may be conducted, if required.nnTytler had refused to undergo the polygraph test.nnThe case pertained to the riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in North Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984, a day after the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.nnThe victims had filed a protest petition challenging the CBI’s closure reports in the case.nnThe court had in December 2015 directed the CBI to further investigate the matter and said it would monitor the probe every two months to ensure that no aspect is left uninvestigated.nnThe agency had reinvestigated the case of killing of Badal Singh, Thakur Singh and Gurcharan Singh near the Gurudwara after a court in December 2007 refused to accept its closure report. The CBI has filed three closure reports in the case.nnSource: Press Trust of India