Witness agrees for lie-detection test if Jagdish Tytler does
NEWDELHI: Arms dealer Abhishek Verma on Thursday said he was ready for a lie-detection test in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case if Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, given a clean chit by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role, also agreed to it.
Verma, who apprehends threat to his life and to his family, told a city court that he had no objection in undergoing the polygraph test if he was provided with adequate security and the process was videographed.
Tytler has objected to the test saying the CBI has not given any reason for conducting it and its plea for conducting it was “gross misuse of law” and filed with “mala fide intention”.
Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Shivali Sharma took on record the reply filed by Verma and listed CBI’s plea seeking to conduct the lie-detection test of Tytler and Verma on March 16 for hearing arguments.
Advocate Maninder Singh, who appeared for Verma, said he had been made a witness by the CBI in the case and it would be proper if the agency records his statement before a magistrate under Section 164 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) as he would not be able to retract from it.
“If Tytler agrees for the test, I have no objection on it. But if I am going for the test, adequate security should be provided to me and my family as I am under threat. Asking me for the lie-detection test is more of pointing fingers at me rather than the accused. I am a witness and I am coming forward to help the prosecution,” Verma submitted.
Giving conditional consent, the witness’ counsel said the questions put to Verma during the test should be related to this case only and not to any other case in which he has been made accused by the agency. The CBI prosecutor, however, said the consent should be unconditional and there should not be any condition.
During the hearing, senior advocate HS Phoolka, who represented riot victims, said keeping in mind the background of the case, the witness should be provided adequate security.