Thursday, October 27 2005 18:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Acting on the adverse references made by the Nanavati Commission against them, the Centre has referred to CBI the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases against Congress leaders Jagdish Tytler, Sajjan Kumar and Dharam Dass Shastri and directed it to examine whether they should be reinvestigated.

As many as ten cases relating to the riots, looked into by the Nanavati Commission, have been referred to CBI by the Union Home Ministry which include some against Tytler and Kumar, both Congress MPs, and Shastri, a Delhi Congressman, CBI sources said today (Oct 27, 2005).

"We will see whether the cases registered by Delhi Police after the riots should be reopened or reinvestigated by CBI. Thereafter, the CBI will scrutinise them and decide what appropriate action should be taken," the sources said.

The Nanavati Commission, which had probed the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, had suggested in its report to the Government to examine whether cases against Tytler, Kumar and Shastri could be looked into.

Cases against Tytler, Kumar and Shastri, who have been indicted in varying degrees by the Nanavati Commission on the basis of the evidence before it, were examined on the request of the Home Ministry by the Law Ministry which was of the view that they could be probed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speaking in Parliament on August 10, during the Monsoon Session, had apologised to the Sikh community and to the nation for the 1984 violence saying he bowed his head in shame that such a thing took place.