What action taken on witness claim against Tytler, asks court

A Delhi court on Monday asked CBI to inform it about the efforts made by it to ascertain claims of controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma that Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, who was given a clean chit in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, influenced a witness and made hawala transactions.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SPS Laler asked the question to CBI prosecutor after hearing arguments of the counsel for riots victims on a protest petition challenging the third closure report in the case.

“Just clarify what efforts have been made by you (CBI) to find out what witness no. 8 Abhishek Verma is saying is truth or lie,” the magistrate asked the CBI. The prosecutor, however, sought time to reply to the query after which the court fixed the matter for October 28. Regarding the argument of senior advocate HS Phoolka, representing the victims who have sought the court’s direction to CBI to lodge an FIR against Tytler for offences of influencing witness and hawala transactions, the prosecutor said CBI is a central agency and the court cannot direct it to lodge FIR. The prosecutor said as per a Supreme Court judgement, the court can direct State Police to register an FIR but not CBI.