Apex court asks petitioner Kahlon to file suggestions
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed petitioner Gur-lad Singh Kahlon to file his suggestions in connection with 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases.
An apex court bench headed by justice Dipak Misra asked petitioner Kahlon to file suggestions and also sought a report from the special investigation team (SIT) regarding the progress in cases. The next date of hearing is March 24.
Earlier, Kahlon, a member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, had moved the apex court in the case seeking a monitored investigation.
On February 20, the Centre filed a status report in the SC on the investigation conducted by the SIT into anti-Sikh riots cases. The court had asked the government to brief it within four weeks on the steps taken in the matter, after the Centre had said that the SIT’s work was “in progress”.
Petitioner Kahlon said the tenure of the SIT was extended earlier and its term was going to expire on February 17.
The Centre, in its counter-affidavit filed earlier, had said the SIT investigation had made considerable progress, with 218 cases at various stages of scrutiny, and a “decision has been taken for re-investigation in 22 cases”.
Kahlon had sought the SC direction for setting up of the SIT to ensure speedy justice to the riot victims.
He had also sought a direction to the Union home ministry to complete the task within six months and give reports on the progress of the probe in all criminal cases relating to the massacre from time to time till the filing of charge sheets.
The petitioner said the SIT was formed by the Centre on February 12, 2015, for a fresh probe into the 1984 riots cases and got an extension for a year.
The home ministry had set up a three-member SIT for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases. The SIT was to look into all serious criminal cases relating to the riots, examine evidence and even reopen cases and file chargesheets in courts concerned. Anti-Sikh riots that broke out after assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had claimed 2,433 lives in Delhi alone.