Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who is facing the threat of arrest for his alleged involvement in 1984 anti—Sikh riots cases, on Tuesday approached the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail.
Mr. Kumar, a former MP from Outer Delhi, filed an appeal against the lower court order which on Monday had refused to grant anticipatory bail to him.
Filing the petition through advocate Anil Kumar Sharma, Mr. Kumar pleaded that the lower court had wrongly rejected his plea on the ground that only the court which had issued summons can grant bail to him.
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The trial court had rejected Mr. Kumar’s plea, saying the allegations on “face value” do not appear to be completely false.
The court, in its 38-page order, had said no exceptional reasons have been brought forth which may entitle the accused for the grant of anticipatory bail.
Though the veracity of allegations was the “subject matter of the trial”, the findings suggested that there was some substance in them, it said.
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It further held the provision to get anticipatory bail was “neither a passport to the commission of crimes nor a shield against any and all kinds of accusations likely or unlikely.”
CBI had chargesheeted 13 people, including Mr. Kumar, on January 13 in two separate 1984 riots cases for allegedly making provocative speeches, leading to the killing of 12 persons in the violence that broke out following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The probe agency had filed the chargesheets in the court after concluding its investigation into the cases registered on the recommendation of Nanavati Commission in 2005.