Tytler, Sajjan cases can be reopened: Law Ministry

The Law Ministry has said the probe into the role of former minister Jagdish Tytler, Congress MP (from Outer Delhi) Sajjan Kumar and senior Congress leader Dharam Das Shastri in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots could be reopened. The Home Ministry had called for the Law Ministry’s opinion after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured the Parliament of taking a fresh look at the Nanavati Commission report. Home has asked for the Law Ministry’s opinion on two counts — whether it was possible to take action against policemen indicted by the Commission and whether cases against politicians named in the Nanavati Commission report could be reopened.

Senior officials said the Law Ministry, after examining the findings of the Commission, was of the opinion that cases against Tytler, Kumar and Shastri could be reinvestigated. Though the role of the then Delhi Lieutenant-Governor P.C. Gavai was questioned, no action against him has been recommended. The Law Ministry submitted its recommendations earlier this week.

Tytler and Sajjan Kumar resigned from the after the report was tabled in Parliament.

The Law Ministry, however, is yet decide on how to proceed against the policemen indicted by the Commission — including the then Delhi Police Commissioner S.C. Tandon and a dozen other police officers. The Commission had observed that the police remained passive and did not provide protection to the people. The Home Ministry will now have to decide on the investigative agency that would re-examine the cases against the three Congress politicians. Since the cases pertain to Delhi, they can be reinvestigated either by the Delhi Police or the CBI.