New Delhi, (Samajweekly) A Delhi court on Saturday after accepting a bail bond by Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with the anti-sikh riots in 1984 in the national capital’s Pul Bangash area, posted the matter next for August 11.
The development came a day after Special Judge Vikas Dhull had granted anticipatory bail to Tytler, and Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vidhi Gupta Anand had on July 26 summoned the Congress on Saturday.
During the hearing, Tytler’s wife, Jennifer stood security for him in the case, and the court verified her identity and financial status.
After noting that she was financially independent, the court accepted her as a surety.
Anand then directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to provide a copy of the charge sheet to Tytler.
“Bail bond furnished. Accepted, subject to conditions imposed on bail order,” the magistrate said.
Tytler was brought to court amid high security.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) members staged a protest outside Rouse Avenue Court, voicing their opposition against Tytler.
Raising slogans while holding placards and posters which read “Jise honi thi jail use kyu mili bail?”, scores of people demanded justice while protesting in front of the court. J
udge Dhull had granted the relief to Tytler on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and one surety of the like amount.
The case pertains to when the Gurdwara Pul Bangash at Azad Market was set on fire by a mob on November 1, 1984 and three persons, namely Sardar Thakur Singh, Badal Singh and Gurcharan Singh, were burnt to death.
The incident took place a day after then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vidhi Anand Gupta of a special MP-MLA court passed the order after taking cognisance of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charge sheet in the case.
In its charge sheet filed before the court, the CBI has said that Tytler incited, instigated and provoked the mob that had assembled at gurdwara, that resulted in the burning down of the shrine and killing of the three persons.
Charges under Sections 147 (rioting), 109 (abetment) read with 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), among others, have been invoked against Tytler by the probe agency.
On June 2, the Rouse Avenue Courts had approved a supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI against Tytler in the riots case and also transferred the case to the special MP-MLA court for trial.
The court had earlier also instructed the CBI to expedite the process of obtaining the forensic report of Tytler’s voice sample.
Senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, representing the riot victims, had requested the court to accelerate the FSL report process.
The Congress leader was named in the chargesheet following fresh evidence against him.
In April, the central probe agency had collected Tytler’s voice sample in connection with the violence in Pul Bangash.
