By IANS,
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Thursday restrained the Central Bureau of Invetigation (CBI) from arresting one of those who have been accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
Justice A.K. Pathak gave the interim relief to Kushal Singh Nagpal, who is co-accused with former Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and others involved in the riots.
The court issuing a notice to the CBI restrained the agency from arresting him till March 26.
Singh in his petition contended that on Oct 28, 1984, he along with his family members went to his native place at Khanna (Punjab) and returned only Nov 15.
“The petitioner doesn’t have any previous record (of crime) and has nothing to do with the commission of any offence as he himself belongs to a Sikh community and was implicated on the basis of misidentification,” his petition stated.
Demanding anticipatory bail on the ground that other co-accused, including Sajjan Kumar, have been granted bail by the court last month, Singh said he too should be granted parity.
Singh said he is not even named in any of the three First Information Reports (FIRs) and has never been called for any inquiry by the commission instituted to probe these riots.
“There is no apprehension of tampering with the witnesses and also there is no question of absconding as the petitioner is a permanent resident of Delhi,” the petition added.
Clarifying his stand for not appearing before the trial court despite being summoned, he said: “At present I am suffering from spinal problems and am under acute pain and have been advised complete bed rest.”
The CBI had filed a chargesheet against Sajjan Kumar and the others in two cases of communal violence for allegedly instigating mobs after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi Oct 31, 1984. Over 3,000 Sikhs across Delhi were killed in the communal frenzy in the days following the assassination.