‘84 riots case: Court observes no progress made in tracing witness

Observing that the CBI had made no progress in tracing a key witness in a 1984 anti-sikh riots case in which Congress leader Jagdish Tytler was earlier given a clean chit, a Delhi court Wednesday directed an SP of the probe agency to appear before it on the next hearing. The lawyer for the victims argued that the CBI jointdirector be summoned instead.

Following a CBI report on the case status, Karkardooma court’s Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shivali Sharma said there was a delay on the agency’s part as it had made a similar statement at an earlier hearing.

The CBI had filed the report in another court during the last hearing as Sharma was on leave. The agency Wednesday said it was trying to trace Narinder Singh, a witness who reportedly settled in Canada, through all “proper channels”.

Appearing for the victims, senior advocate H S Phoolka, argued, “He (Singh) visited India recently. His in-laws are in Punjab. This is a total eyewash. His number was working until some time ago.” Phoolka said the victims’ families were trying to help the investigating agency in tracing the witness and Singh’s number too. “The court should call the joint-director CBI. The orders of this are not complied with. They have treated the orders of the court as a joke,” he argued.

The court inquired about the assistance sought by Indian agencies from their Canadian counterparts. The CBI replied that a communication had already been sent to Canadian authorities. “Before this we contacted the Interpol,” said the CBI lawyer, seeking three months’ time for further investigation.

The court directed the SP, CBI to be present and apprise the court on the status of the investigation on October 25. The case pertains to the killing of three people — a day after the assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi — at Gurudwara Pul Bangash.