Akali Dal welcomes reopening of Sikh riot case against Tytler

Shiromani Akali Dal today welcomed the Delhi court's decision to re-open 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Jagdish Tytler, setting aside a CBI closure report giving clean chit to the Congress leader.
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal termed the decision as a "first small victory in 30-year-long sustained battle by thousands of families of (riot) victims".
Additional Sessions Judge Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj set aside the order of a magisterial court which accepted CBI's closure report giving a clean chit to Tytler.
In a statement, Badal said that his party has been fighting at every front to defeat the "nefarious designs of Congress party that is bent upon to give clean chit to architects of worst ever massacre of Sikhs".

The SAD president said that since the riots "the Congress party is working overtime to block all avenues of justice by pressurising Delhi Police, CBI and the families of victims".
Badal alleged that "despite indictment by various enquiry commissions, Tytler and (Cong leader) Sajjan Kumar were rewarded by their party with various posts and were given tickets for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seats to give a subtle message to the witnesses that they should not depose against high and mighty of the Government."

Alleging that the premier investigation agency like CBI has been used as a tool to exonerate the main culprits, Badal said "despite strict objections by the then Joint Director CBI, then Director CBI went out of way to file closure report in the court citing lack of evidence against Jagdish Tytler."

Asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to take moral responsibility for denying justice to 3,000 Sikh families, the SAD president demanded that Tytler and Kumar be expelled from the Congress party.
Badal also welcomed the Supreme Court judgement that has upheld life term for four accused of 1984 anti-Sikh riots-- Lal Bahadur, Surinderpal Singh, Ram Lal and Vijender Singh, who were earlier acquitted by lower court.
"The Apex Court has aptly observed that the trial court has not taken into account the extraordinary atmosphere in capital during that period," he said.