A Delhi court on Wednesday directed the CBI to reply on the allegations that Congress leader Jagdish Tytler tried to influence a witness in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which the agency has filed a closure report. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SPS laler sought CBI’s response on the statement recorded by the agency of jailed businessman Abhishek Verma during its further investigation in the riots case.
After hearing the arguments on CBI’s closure report, court has now fixed the matter for June 26. Senior advocate HS Phoolka, representing the riots victims, apprised the court that Verma’s statement to the CBI reveals that Tytler had allegedly struck a deal with Surinder Kumar Granthi, who was a prime witness in the case and had deposed against the Congress leader about his involvement in the case.
“As per the deal, hefty amount was paid to Surinder (who has died) besides settling his son Narinder Singh abroad. He (Tytler) also told me (Verma) that he had mounted pressure on Narinder who in turn was to pressurize his father Surinder to change his statement in favour of Jagdish Tytler,” Verma had told CBI.
Verma had alleged in his statement that in 2010, Tytler had sent Rs 5 crore to his sister who lives in Canada and the money was sent through hawala and when the amount reached the account of a trust, it was frozen by the concerned bank. CBI has also recorded statement of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan in the case.
The court had earlier said “perusal of records revealed that the cancellation report was also filed earlier as regards accused Jagdish Tytler”. The court had also issued notice to complainant and victim lakhvinder, whose husband Badal Singh was killed during the riots, on the closure report.
CBI had said it has conducted further probe in the case, as directed by a sessions court, and filed a closure report in the matter. In April 2013, CBI was directed by a sessions court to further investigate the case as it set aside its earlier closure report.
Expressing displeasure over the CBI’s move of filing the closure report, counsel for the riot victims had said, “Why is it being done so secretlyIJ Even the complainant has not been informed about it. It has been filed secretly. “This shows an attempt has been made to get the closure report accepted by the court in hush-hush manner.”
The closure report was filed in the court on December 24, 2014 and a notice was issued to the complainant. The Sessions Court had on April 10, 2013 set aside CBI’s closure report giving clean chit to Tytler and ordered reopening of investigation into the killing of three persons.