Remove CBI witnesses in riots case: Sajjan

Two separate applications were filed on Tuesday in a Delhi court by Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and three other accused, who are facing trial in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, seeking removal of witnesses.

Kumar, Brahmanand Gupta, Peru, Khushal Singh and Ved Prakash sought removal of “irrelevant witnesses” of CBI from the case. A separate plea was also filed by the accused seeking to summon records of the two other riots-related cases which have already been decided.

District judge J R Aryan asked CBI to respond to the plea of the accused and fixed September 2 for arguments. The court had earlier framed various charges, including those of murder and rioting, against the four accused in connection with killing of a man in Sultanpuri area in the riots that had occurred after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.

The court, which was scheduled to decide the date for beginning the trial by recording statements of prosecution witnesses, will now fix it after deciding the two applications moved by the accused.

Defence counsel A K Sharma said that the CBI had filed a consolidated chargesheet of three separate FIRs, and that the nine prosecution witnesses, who are not related to the murder of victim Surjit Singh, should be removed.

He said three separate FIRs were registered for the murder of six persons but if CBI was restricting its case to only one murder then the witnesses who are not related to this murder should be removed. CBI prosecutor D P Singh, however, opposed the plea, saying it is for the agency to decide who are relevant or irrelevant witnesses and whom they want to remove. (With Agencies)