1984 riots: Phoolka says CBI clean chit to Tytler 'unfortunate'

Advocate H.S. Phoolka, who represented the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, expressed his displeasure on Wednesday over the clean chit given to Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in a riot case being probed by the CBI.

"It is highly unfortunate that the CBI quietly filed the closure report on December 24, 2014, giving clean chit to Tyler," Phoolka said.

Phoolka said the closure report was kept secret for three months, and hit out at the Akali Dal, saying the party knew about it but did not disclose it to the victims or the public.

For the third time, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a closure report in a case against Tytler in connection with the 1984 riots in Delhi.

The probe agency had earlier given clean chit twice to the Congress leader.

In April 2013, a sessions court had rejected the closure report and ordered the probe agency for further investigation into the killing of three people.

Acting on its direction, the investigating agency conducted further probe but on December 24, 2014, filed another closure report before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler.

Laler has issued notice to the victim and complainant, Lakhvinder Kaur, whose husband Badal Singh was killed during the riots and fixed the matter for March 27 for further hearing.

The filing of the closure report by the CBI was protested by the victim's counsel.