Jagdish Tytler moves Delhi High Court against order to frame charges in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on Monday moved the Delhi High Court challenging the framing of charges for murder and other offences against him in a case related to the killing of three people in north Delhi’s Pul Bangash during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

He termed the case against him a “witch-hunt and harassment” in which he is being made to face trial “for an alleged offence that was committed more than four decades ago”.

Mr. Tytler contended that “the trial court has erroneously framed charges” against him “overlooking the settled principles of law on the point of charge”. The petition is likely to be listed for hearing later in the week.

The 80-year-old former Delhi MP said there was no credible evidence to corroborate the allegations against him and that the trial court’s order was “misconceived” and was passed “mechanically”.

He has sought quashing of the trial court’s August 30 order, directing framing of charges against him in the case. Besides murder, the trial court had ordered the framing of charges for several other offences, including unlawful assembly, rioting, promoting enmity between different groups, house trespass, and theft, based on a chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in May last year.

The probe agency had alleged that the Congress leader “incited, instigated and provoked the mob” that assembled at Pul Bangash locality on November 1, 1984 and resulted in the killing of three Sikhs — Thakur Singh, Badal Singh and Gurcharan Singh.

Published - October 01, 2024 12:50 am IST