Tytler moves plea in Delhi court for anticipatory bail in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on Tuesday moved a plea seeking anticipatory bail in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 in the national capital's Pul Bangash area.

The court then issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case.

On July 26, the court summoned Tytler in the matter. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Vidhi Anand Gupta of a special MP-MLA court had passed the order after taking cognisance of a CBI chargesheet in the case.

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.

In its chargesheet filed before the court, the CBI has said that Tytler incited, instigated and provoked the mob that had assembled at gurdwara on November 1, that resulted in the burning down of the gurdwara and killing of three persons of the Sikh community.

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 approved a supplementary chargesheet 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.

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. Tytler is accused of inciting a mob that murdered the victims.