Delhi court adjourns hearing on Jagdish Tytler case

A magisterial court in Delhi on Thursday deferred hearing on Jagdish Tytler's case to April 28. Meanwhile,CBI has questioned the jurisdiction of magisterial court to decide on the closure report of case against Tytler in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

A Delhi court deferred till April 28 the hearing in the Jagdish Tytler case relating to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on Thursday.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Rakesh Pandit said the matter will be heard on April 28 and 29 after the CBI submitted that his court has no jurisdiction because the offence made out in the case was that of murder which was in the exclusive jurisdiction of a Sessions court.

During the arguments,CBI counsel Sanjay Kumar contended that the case should be heard by a court of sessions as it was related to the offence of murder.

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“We have already filed a charge-sheet against other accused Suresh Kumar Paniwala in this case and the court should take cognisance of it and refer the matter to a sessions court,” Kumar contended.

When the court wanted to know about Tytler,the CBI counsel said the Congress leader was not present at the time of incident.

“Tytler was not present at Gurudwara Pulbanghash as he was at Teen Murti Bhawan,besides the body of Indira Gandhi,” he said.

“We have already filed a closure report (regarding Tytler) after recording evidence of two witnesses. There is no sufficient evidence against him,” the counsel said.

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Earlier,amidst reports that Congress has asked him to withdraw from the Lok Sabha race,party leader Jagdish Tytler on Thursday said he will give his reaction only after the court takes a view on the CBI report on his alleged involvement in 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

“I will react only after the court judgement,” Tytler told reporters referring to the CBI report in which it is believed to have given a clean chit to the Congress leader in the riots cases.

He parried questions whether he would quit the electoral race from North-East Delhi Lok Sabha constituency where he has been named as a candidate.

AICC sources maintained that no decision has been taken on his candidature so far.

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The issue of his candidature became subject of a renewed controversy after a Sikh journalist lobbed a shoe at Home Minister P Chidambaram at a press conference on Monday to protest against the “clean chit” to Tytler.

Tytler himself maintained that the CBI report was submitted to the court in a sealed envelope and how could there be a speculation that he has been given a clean chit.