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CBI changes lawyer in anti-Sikhs riots case

Staff Reporter

The case involves Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, party MLA Jai Kishan and eight others

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation has changed its counsel to argue the appeal against acquittal of Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, party MLA Jai Kishan and eight others in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case at Sultanpuri in North-West Delhi.

The riots had broken out in the wake of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

The investigating agency on Monday intimated its decision to change the lawyer to a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justice Manmohan Sarin and Justice S.L. Bhayana hearing the appeal.

The Bench later adjourned the hearing on the appeal to April 17 on a plea by new counsel S. S. Gandhi that he required time to study case papers.

Earlier J. S. Wadia was appearing for the agency. The Bench had on March 8 pulled up Mr. Wadia for not coming prepared to argue the case.

Admitting the appeal on March 5, the Bench had said that it would hear the case on a day-to-day basis.

Then Additional Sessions Judge Manju Goel had in December 2002 acquitted them. Acquitting the accused, Ms. Goel had said: "The prosecution (CBI) has miserably failed to prove the case against them."

Quoting a relevant paragraph of the statement recorded by Anwar Kaur on whose statement on oath the case was registered, Ms. Goel said she (Anwar Kaur) was not sure in her statement whether Sajjan Kumar was leading the mob which had lynched her husband, Nevin Singh, at Sultanpuri in North-West Delhi on November 1, 1984, after indulging in arson and loot. There were a total of 13 accused in the case. Three of them died during the trial. Ms. Kaur had in her statement said that a mob instigated by Sajjan Kumar had killed her husband in front of her residence.

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