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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court has provided the Special Investigation Team (SIT) with additional time to submit its status report concerning a plea seeking action against Congress leader Kamal Nath for his alleged involvement in a case linked to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma was apprised that the SIT, established by the Union Home Ministry, was yet to file its status report regarding the petition filed by BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

The court had previously directed the SIT on January 27, 2022, to furnish the status report on the plea.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the SIT's counsel sought an extension, citing the need to trace relevant records. The court then scheduled the matter for further hearing on April 23.

The case pertains to a violent mob attacking the Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib in the city during the 1984 riots. Congress leader Kamal Nath has refuted any involvement in the incident.

Sirsa's petition seeks direction for the SIT to take action against Nath in connection with the FIR lodged in 1984 at the Parliament Street police station. Although five individuals were named as accused in the case and allegedly provided shelter at Nath's residence, they were discharged due to insufficient evidence. Notably, Nath was not implicated in the FIR.

In September 2019, the SIT decided to reopen seven cases related to the anti-Sikh riots, where either the accused were acquitted or the trial was concluded. Following this notification, Sirsa asserted that Nath, a former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, allegedly harbored five individuals accused in one of the seven cases.

As per the Home Ministry's 2019 notification, the SIT is tasked with scrutinizing or conducting preliminary inquiries into the discharged cases. These seven cases were registered in 1984 at police stations in Vasant Vihar, Sun Light Colony, Kalyanpuri, Parliament Street, Connaught Place, Patel Nagar, and Shahdara.

The SIT, formed on February 12, 2015, on the recommendation of the Home Ministry-appointed Justice (retd) G P Mathur committee, comprises two inspector general-rank IPS officers and a judicial officer.

The 1984 anti-Sikh riots erupted following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.

Case Title: Manjinder Singh Sirsa v. Union of India & Ors.