NEW DELHI, Oct 25: CBI today told a Delhi court that it needed at least four months to complete its further probe in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case in which Congress leader Jagdish Tytler was earlier given a clean chit.
The probe agency made the submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shivali Sharma who directed it to expedite the investigation and file a final report.
“You (CBI) file a final report. Tell me how much more time you want to complete the probe. Its an endless process. You file a final report and I will consider it. Expedite the probe and also give me the time frame,” the magistrate said.
CBI officials said they were waiting for the response of some agencies which will take time and sought four more months to complete the probe, after which the court fixed the matter for February 16.
CBI’s Superintendent of Police, who is supervising the investigation, told the court that they are making all efforts to complete the probe and an official recently spoke to Narinder Singh, son of a prime witness against Tytler in Canada, but he has refused to join probe.
“As far as probe within India is concerned, it is almost complete. We have tried to call Narinder several times. He picked up our call the last two times but has refused to join the probe and come to India.
“He says he is a Canadian-American and the laws of those countries would apply on him,” the senior officer said.
CBI prosecutor N K Srivastava also said the agency was not hiding anything and has disclosed all facts to the court.
CBI had earlier claimed that they had made all possible efforts to trace Narinder but he could not be contacted as nobody was picking up his mobile when called.
However, senior advocate H S Phoolka, who represents the riot victims, had alleged that CBI was shielding Tytler by thrice giving him clean chit in the case and added that he was ready to provide all assistance to the agency in completing the probe.
On being asked by the court if Phoolka can convince Narinder and bring him to India to join the probe, the counsel replied in negative saying he was not in his control.
“He is not in our control. We cannot bring him. But we can assist CBI in taking the help of Canadian authorities. Let CBI give us the letter what help it wants from Canadian authorities, we will do it,” Phoolka said.
The court, however, refused to direct CBI to give such letter written by it to other authorities to the counsel and said it cannot provide copies of letters to them at this stage.
The court had earlier pulled up CBI for delaying in communicating with Canada for help in tracing Narinder.
The case pertains to riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in North Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984, a day after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The court had said it would monitor the probe every two months so that no aspect of the matter is left uninvestigated.
CBI had re-investigated the case of killing of Badal Singh, Thakur Singh and Gurcharan Singh near the gurudwara after a court in December 2007 refused to accept its closure report. CBI has filed three closure reports in the case.
Tytler has denied any role in the riots. (PTI)
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