The Hindu : National : Probe anti-Sikh riots a la Best Bakery case: PIL

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 29, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Probe anti-Sikh riots a la Best Bakery case: PIL

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has been moved for a further probe into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, in which about 3,000 people were killed, on the lines of the directions issued in the Best Bakery case (during the 2002 riots in Gujarat), and for its monitoring the investigation.

The public interest litigation petition filed through advocate Harsh V. Pratap Sharma, sought a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to submit a report on the status of the probe so far; and a further investigation after taking suggestions from the victims and their families.

The advocate-petitioner, Manjit Singh Butalia, said that on March 29 information was leaked to the media that the CBI had given a clean chit to certain accused. It appeared that the CBI had not conducted the investigation freely and fairly, he said.

In the Best Bakery case in Vadodara, the petitioner pointed out, the Supreme Court clearly said, “If the state’s machinery fails to protect citizen’s life, liberties and property and the investigation is conducted in a manner to help the accused persons, it is miscarriage of justice that is perpetrated upon the victims and their family members.”

As per the directions issued in the Vineet Narain case, the filing of every charge sheet should be reviewed by the CBI Director but it was not done in the present case, Mr. Butalia said.

The State government should have taken the same measure as had been adopted in the Gujarat riots case for granting proper relief to the victims.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National