The government on Monday filed a status report in the Supreme Court on the investigation conducted by a special investigation team (SIT) into 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases.
The report was filed on the basis of a January 16 direction from the Supreme Court to the Centre to file a “comprehensive report” on the status of the probe conducted by the SIT on a plea seeking a court-monitored investigation.
A Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra fixed the hearing on the report on March 6. The court had asked the government to brief it within four weeks on the steps taken in the matter, after the Centre had said that the SIT’s work was “in progress”.
Petitioner S. Gurlad Singh Kahlon said the tenure of the SIT was extended earlier and its term was going to expire on February 17.
‘Considerable progress’
The Centre, in its counter-affidavit filed earlier, had said the SIT investigation had made considerable progress, with 218 cases at various stages of scrutiny, and a “decision has been taken for re-investigation in 22 cases”.
Mr. Kahlon, a member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, had sought the Supreme Court’s direction for setting up of the SIT to ensure speedy justice to the riot victims.
He had also sought a direction to the Home Ministry to complete the task within six months and give reports on the progress of the probe in all criminal cases relating to the massacre from time to time till the filing of charge sheets.
Fresh probe
The petitioner has said the SIT was formed by the Centre on February 12, 2015 for a fresh probe into the 1984 riots cases and got an extension for a year.
The Home Ministry had set up a three-member SIT for re- investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, The SIT was to look into all serious criminal cases relating to the riots, examine evidence and even reopen cases and file charge sheets in courts concerned.
