Anti-Sikh riots: Court allows examination of Tytler CD

New Delhi, Oct 31 : A city court Saturday allowed the counsel of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims to examine the CD in which Congress leader Jagdish Tytler has been shown standing next to the body of former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit asked the counsel for the victims' association to examine the eight CDs in the court Nov 16.

Said H.S. Phulka, counsel of the victim's association: "The day and the time was not mentioned in all the CDs."

"The persons who were seen in the CD like R.K. Dhawan (Indira Gandhi's secretary), Amitabh Bachchan (Bollywood star and close friend of the family) and some other senior political leaders were not examined by the investigation officer in the case. The entire CD looks fishy," Phulka told IANS.

In the morning, the 18-minute CD was shown in the chamber of the judge in the presence of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, Phulka and his team of lawyers.

The court has now fixed the next hearing for further arguments Dec 1.

The CBI had, in the last hearing, said the witnesses, who deposed about the alleged role of Tytler in the anti-Sikh riots, were "not reliable".

But recently another witness Jasbir Singh had said that Tytler, along with others, was involved in the attack at Gurdwara Pul Bangash in north Delhi and killed Thakur Singh and Badal Singh.

The probe agency will Saturday continue its argument on the version given by Jasbir Singh.

The CBI had last month during the hearing also placed before the court audiovisual evidence showing that Tytler was near the body of assassinated prime minister Indira Gandhi at the time the murders of Thakur Singh and Badal Singh are alleged to have taken place.

Over 3,000 Sikhs were killed in the riots in various cities following the assassination of Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984.