Sajjan Kumar seeks documents from CBI in riots case

NEW DELHI - Congress leader Sajjan Kumar Monday filed an application in a city court seeking documents from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) linked to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases against him.

Additional sessions judge (ASJ) Sunita Gupta ordered the CBI to file a reply on his application by April 7.

Kumar, who was present in court with other accused, sought judicial and police records of the two cases registered against him at the Sultanpuri police station.

He has also sought a copy of memorandum of action taken report of Justice G.T. Nanavati Commission. The commission was set up to investigate the 1984 riots.

A similar application filed previously by the accused was dismissed by the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM),” said CBI counsel Y.K. Saxena.

H.S. Phoolka, counsel for the victims’ families, said according to the Supreme Court order this is not the stage for seeking documents.

He further added that the trial court should conclude the proceedings of this case in six months’ time.

On Monday, the court also reserved its order on a bail plea filed by Kumar’s co-accused Girdhari Lal who is in judicial custody.

Sajjan Kumar, Khushal Singh, Girdhari Lal, Balwan Khokhar, Mahender Yadav, Maha Singh, Capt Bhagmal, Santosh Rani and Krishna Khokhar were named as accused in the murder of five people in Delhi Cantonment in the 1984 riots following then prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Sajjan Kumar and others in two cases for allegedly instigating mobs after the assassination on Oct 31, 1984. More than 3,000 Sikhs were killed across Delhi.