1984 riots: Tytler asked to appear in court on CBI plea for lie-detection test

The case pertains to death of three Sikhs in the aftermath of the riots that broke out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Congress leader Jagdish Tytler has been directed by a Delhi court to appear before it on Friday on a CBI plea seeking permission to conduct lie detection test on him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Jagdish Tytler has been given a clean chit by CBI thrice in the case but the probe agency has been directed by the court to further investigate the matter.(HT file photo)

Besides Tytler, CBI has also sought conduct of the test on arms dealer Abhishek Verma.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate on Wednesday had asked Tytler and Verma to appear before him on Friday at 4pm to ascertain their stand on the plea.

The case pertains to death of three Sikhs in the aftermath of the riots that broke out after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Tytler has been given a clean chit by CBI thrice in the case but the probe agency has been directed by the court to further investigate the matter.

Verma has made several statements to CBI against the senior Congress leader that he allegedly pressurised witnesses in the case.

CBI in its plea said, “For the purpose of further investigation, polygraph test (lie detection test) needs to be conducted on Abhishek Verma and Jagdish Tytler”.

The move came in pursuance to the court’s December 4, 2015 order in which it was mentioned that lie detection test may be conducted, if required.

“The presence of these two persons namely, Abhishek Verma and Jadgish Tytler is necessary before this court to accord their consent about the polygraph test (lie detection test),” the plea while seeking the court’s direction to Tytler and Verma to appear before it.

The court had earlier held that Verma in his statement to CBI disclosed an active role played by Tytler in extending a “helping hand” to a witness against him.

It had noted that the statement given by Verma to CBI in which he has claimed that Tytler had sent the son of Surinder Singh Granthi, a key witness against him, to Canada cannot be a “sheer coincidence” and the agency should probe if it is true.

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 Indira Gandhi.

The court had in December 2015, directed CBI to further investigate the matter and had said it would monitor the probe every two months so that no aspect of the matter is left uninvestigated.

CBI had reinvestigated 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.