Make stand clear on polygraphy, court tells Tytler

A court here on Tuesday asked Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and arms dealer Abhishek Verma to make their stands clear -- by personal appearance or an affidavit on May 22 -- whether they will undergo lie-detector test in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shivali Sharma directed Tytler and Verma to record their stand while hearing a Central Bureau of Investigation's plea for a lie-detector test on them.

The court observed that neither of them had provided a clear answer to the plea that sought court permission for the polygraphy on them.

Tytler is accused of leading a mob in the Pul Bangash area of Delhi in 1984 that led to the killing of three Sikhs.

"Both the non-applicants (Tytler and Verma) are directed to file an affidavit clearly specifying that they have understood the nature of the test sought to be conducted on them and giving a clean and unambiguous consent/no consent for participating in the polygraphy test," the court said.

In case there are any conditions attached to the consent, Tytler and Verma are directed to appear in person on May 22, the next date of hearing, for clarification.

The court said that merely because the court, on December 4, 2015, directed for no polygraphy test on Tytler, it does not imply that the CBI's hands are ties in this regard.

Tytler, a senior Congress leader, has refused to undergo a polygraphy test in the anti-Sikh riots case, contending that the CBI had not given any specific reason in its application for the test.

The court ruled that the CBI's application is "maintainable."

Verma, listed as a case witness, had told the court that he was ready for the polygraphy or lie-detector test if provided adequate security, as he apprehended threat to his life as well as to his family.

The court observed that adequate security has been provided to Verma.

The agency's move came after Verma alleged that Tytler tried to influence a witness, Surender Singh, with money and promised to send his son Narender Singh to Canada.

The investigating agency had earlier given a clean chit to Tytler but reopened the case following the December 4, 2015, court order in the wake of Verma's allegations.

The court had also directed the agency to find out whether Verma's statement was authentic.

--IANS

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