A Delhi court on Wednesday sought a reply from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to an allegation that former Union Minister Jagdish Tytler had tried to win over a witness in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against him.
Submitting on behalf of the complainant before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate S P S Laler, advocate H.S. Phoolka, said that businessman Abhishek Verma, son of late Congress MP Srikant Verma, had said in his statement recorded by the investigating agency that Mr. Tytler had paid about Rs. 1 crore to Surinder Singh Granthi, a prosecution witness in the case. He had also arranged a visa for $50,000 to send his son Narinder Singh to Canada under a deal to make statement in his favour.
Mr. Phoolka was opposing the CBI’s plea to close the case.
Mr. Verma said his statement was based on what Mr. Tytler had told him during a meeting in August or September, 2008.
Mr. Verma said Mr. Tytler had told him that a deal was struck with Mr. Granthi according to which he was to be paid a hefty amount as he (witness) had given statement against him in the case.
Mr. Tytler had also pressured Mr. Narinder Singh to put pressure on his father to change his statement in his favour, Mr. Verma said in his statement, adding that he further told him that despite the payment of a huge amount of money, the witness had changed his statement twice or thrice. Mr. Tytler also told him that he had video-recorded the statement of Mr. Granthi in which he had given him a clean chit in the case. It was recorded on the day he died, Mr. Verma said attributing it to Mr. Tytler.
The CBI in its closure report has said that the evidence by Mr. Verma indicates that Mr. Tytler might have tried to influence the witness. However, it could not be verified as the witness has since expired. Also, the statements of the witness were found to be false, concocted, and a result of an afterthought in the investigation conducted earlier, the investigating agency said, adding that his evidence was also refuted by other witnesses. Efforts were also made to further examine Mr. Narinder Singh, but his whereabouts were not found, the agency stated in its closure report.
The court later asked the CBI to file a reply to the allegation by June 26.
The CBI had earlier in 2007 and 2009 sought to close the case, but the court had rejected it and ordered further investigation. The complainant, Lakhwinder Kaur, is the wife of a man who was killed by a mob along with two others at Gurdwara Pul Bangas in North Delhi in the riots. She has accused Mr. Tytler of inciting the mob.
“ Tytler had paid
about Rs. 1 crore
to Surinder Singh Granthi, a prosecution witness. He had also arranged a visa for $50,000 to send his son Narinder Singh to Canada to make statement in
his favour”
