A Delhi court postponed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler to December 9, following the absence of key witnesses. The charges against Tytler include murder and rioting, linked to the killings at Gurudwara Pul Bangash. The riots, triggered by Indira Gandhi’s assassination, left a significant impact on India’s history.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday adjourned the hearing of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case involving Congress leader Jagdish Tytler to December 9, when statements of two former police officials are scheduled to be recorded as witnesses.
Special CBI Judge Jitendra Singh deferred the hearing after the witnesses, Ravi Sharma and Dharam Chand, expressed their inability to testify. The court noted,
“It is submitted by the public prosecutor for the CBI that the witnesses, who are present in the court, have stated to him that they are not in a position to depose today… As the witnesses are not being examined by the prosecution today, the matter stands adjourned.”
The case pertains to the killing of three Sikhs at Gurudwara Pul Bangash in Delhi during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A witness alleged that Tytler arrived in front of the Gurudwara in a white car on November 1, 1984, and instigated a mob to attack the Sikh community, resulting in the deaths.
On September 13, 2024, the court framed charges of murder and other offences against Tytler under Sections 147 (rioting), 109 (abetment) read with 302 (murder) of the IPC.
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Key Developments –
- On November 23, the court summoned Ravi Sharma and Dharam Chand as witnesses.
- On November 12, the statement of Lakhvinder Kaur, the widow of Badal Singh (one of the victims), was recorded. Kaur testified about the mob attack at Gurudwara Pul Bangash.
- In 2023, Tytler was granted anticipatory bail on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with conditions, including not tampering with evidence or leaving the country without court permission.
The court will next hear the case on December 9, when the prosecution is expected to record the statements of Sharma and Chand, both former police officials. Tytler, who appeared in court in person during the previous hearing, remains charged with instigating violence during one of India’s most tragic communal events.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, which followed the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, claimed thousands of lives and left a lasting scar on the nation’s history. The developments in Tytler’s case mark a critical phase in the quest for justice for the victims of this dark chapter.
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