Court puts Tytler, Verma on trial in cheating case

A Delhi court today put on trial Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and controversial arms dealer Abhishek Verma after framing charges against them for allegedly writing a forged letter addressed to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2009.
Special CBI judge Anju Bajaj Chandna put Tytler and Verma on trial after framing charges for the alleged offences punishable under various sections of IPC, including 420 (cheating), 471 (fraudulently or dishonestly using as genuine any forged document or electronic record) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy).
The court also framed charges under a provision of Prevention of Corruption Act.
After the court framed the charges against both the accused, they pleaded not guilty and claimed trial following which the judge posted the matter for recording of prosecution evidence in the case.

The court had in September reserved the order on framing of charges in the case after hearing arguments of the counsel for CBI and the accused.
During the arguments on the charges, Tytler, who was earlier granted bail, and Verma, who is in the judicial custody in connection with various cases lodges against him, denied the allegations levelled against them by CBI.

The charge sheet was filed by CBI on a complaint of then Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken alleging that a forged letter on his letterhead was addressed to Singh seeking easing of business visa norms in 2009.

Verma and Tytler were named in the charge sheet for the offence of attempting to cheat under IPC and a provision of Prevention of Corruption Act. Tytler was granted bail by the court after he had appeared before it in pursuance to summons.
Verma is currently in Tihar Jail under judicial custody after being arrested in various cases lodged against him by CBI and Enforcement Directorate.
CBI in its plea said, "For the purpose of further
investigation, polygraph test (lie detection test) needs to be conducted on Abhishek Verma and Jagdish Tytler".
The move came in pursuance to the court's December 4, 2015 order in which it was mentioned that lie detection test may be conducted, if required.

"The presence of these two persons namely, Abhishek Verma and Jadgish Tytler is necessary before this court to accord their consent about the polygraph test (lie detection test)," the plea while seeking the court's direction to Tytler and Verma to appear before it.
The court had earlier held that Verma in his statement to CBI disclosed an active role played by Tytler in extending a "helping hand" to a witness against him.
It had noted that the statement given by Verma to CBI in which he has claimed that Tytler had sent the son of Surinder Singh Granthi, a key witness against him, to Canada cannot be a "sheer coincidence" and the agency should probe if it is true.

The case pertains to riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in north Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984, a day after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
The court had in December 2015, directed CBI to further investigate the matter and had said it would monitor the probe every two months so that no aspect of the matter is left uninvestigated.
CBI had re-investigated the case of killing of Badal Singh, Thakur Singh and Gurcharan Singh near the gurudwara after a court in December 2007 refused to accept its closure report. CBI has filed three closure reports in the case.

Tytler has denied any role in the riots.