CBI pulled up for not expediting 1984 riot cases

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for not appointing special public prosecutors to expedite the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases pending before the trial court.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for not appointing special public prosecutors to expedite the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases pending before the trial court.

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A division bench of Chief Justice AP Shah and Justice Rajiv Sahai asked the CBI to respond by February 8 as to who can be appointed as special public prosecutor for the four cases pending in the trial court.

"You should respect the sentiments of people involved in this. It's a reasonable demand for expediting hearing of cases. When special lawyers can be appointed for probing the Gujarat riots cases why not in this?," the court asked.

"The case itself is a shame for our country and, above all, the delay is harming it more," the petitioner's counsel H S Phulka said.

Former parliamentarians Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler are among those accused of instigating mobs that killed over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi in the days following the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984.