Congress leader Jagdish Tytler has moved the Delhi High Court, requesting a stay on the trial proceedings against him regarding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The case, which implicates him in the deaths of three individuals in the Pul Bangash area of north Delhi, is set to resume this week with the recording of a prosecution witness.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, who previously allowed Tytler additional time to submit documents, ordered the high court’s registry to update the records promptly. This directive comes as the high court is scheduled to review Tytler’s challenge to the framing of murder and other charges on November 29. In the interim, Tytler has petitioned for a halt to the trial.
During Monday’s session, senior advocate H.S. Phoolka, representing the victims, argued against the stay. He highlighted the plight of Lokender Kaur, the prosecution witness, emphasizing her age and health challenges exacerbated by repeated court appearances. Despite this, her cross-examination is planned for November 12.
Tytler, denying all charges, claims a wrongful persecution stretching over four decades, labeling the trial court’s decisions as legally unsound and urging for them to be overturned. He asserts his absence at the scene during the riots, a defense previously dismissed by both the high court and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI’s charge sheet accuses Tytler of inciting violence against Sikhs following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. According to the CBI, Tytler allegedly provoked a mob outside the Pul Bangash Gurdwara, leading to severe communal violence.
