1984 riots: Court to give order on June 3 on victims’ plea

New Delhi: A Delhi court said on Saturday today that it will pronounce on June 3 its order on the plea of victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots that they should be heard before deciding on CBI's probe report giving a clean chit to former union minister Jagdish Tytler. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit fixed the date after hearing arguments on the part of victims and the CBI. The victims' associations Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and November '84 Carnage Justice Committee had earlier filed the application pleading that the court should decide their right to be heard in the matter. The CBI, on the other hand, opposed their plea saying they had no locus standi in the matter. "The injured or aggrieved parties do have a right to be heard. The investigating agency is bound to give notice to such parties and if they fail to do so, the court is bound to hear us as settled by the Supreme Court," Rebecca M John appearing for Lakhwinder Kaur, a widow of the victim killed during riots, said. The counsel also claimed CBI never approached the widow during its investigation into the case. "We have recommended prosecution of one accused Suresh Kumar Paniwala. Nobody was named in the FIR. It is only on the recommendation of Justice Nanavati Commission that we investigated role of Tytler and filed closure report finding no evidence against him," CBI counsel A K Srivastava submitted.