New Delhi: Congress leader Jagdish Tytler won a brief respite as a court on Thursday postponed its hearing in a case during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots till April 28.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) argued before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Rakesh Pandit that the court was not empowered to try the case as it involved charges of murder, which can be tried in a session court only.
The magistrate then said he would hear both sides on this issue on April 28-29 before coming to a decision.
Tytler is accused of having incited mobs to attack Sikhs in the aftermath of the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
Reacting to the court's decision, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said, "Why are the culprits roaming scot-free? Is Congress scared of them? If CBI is an independent agency, why was it in a hurry to give Tytler a clean chit just before the elections? The anger is simmering among people and Congress knows it won't come back to power. It only wants to save its leadership. The nation knows who the culprit is".
Meanwhile, lawyer for Shiromani Sangh HS Ahluwalia hinted that the CBI was trying to buy time for Tytler.
"I wonder why is CBI behaving like this? They furthered a judgement of 1993 which was overruled in 1998! Then they told the court that it does not have any powers! I was also a CBI counsel once and I don't know why the agency is behaving like this. It should be fair," he said.
Describing the scene in the court room, Ahluwalia said while the police did not allow complainants inside the court, Tytler's supporters were curiously allowed in.
Before the hearing was deferred, Sikh protestors stormed the Karkardooma court complex in the Capital. Shouting slogans against Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, the protestors tried to scale the court walls. They also tried to break through the police barricades.
Police had been deployed in strength in the area but a massive crowd of Sikhs still gathered outside the court complex.
The court was expected to decide whether to drop charges against Tytler or order a trial or even a reinvestigation in the 1984 riots case.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders have advised Tytler to take a conscience call and withdraw from the elections as he awaits court verdict in the riots case, according to sources.
Congress sources have also told CNN-IBN that the party may withdraw Tytler from the election race.
However, Tytler, who is contesting from Delhi's northeast constituency, remains defiant.
“I am awaiting the court judgment which I am told will come at 2 pm. After that I will hold a press conference at 5 pm. I believe that CBI report was in a closed envelope. How do you know that I have been given a clean chit?” Tytler said.
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