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Centre officer Abhishek Dular, was set up by by judges” to the accused in a “routine

manner”. The cases were registered to
the apex court on Janaury 11, 2018, to
give “clean chit” to certain persons, it
supervise further investigation into
to act 186 cases in which closure reports said.
The report, which was submitted in
were filed earlier. The SIT presently
has only two members as Singh had
the apex court, dealt with 186 anti-Sikh
riots cases referred to the SIT which
declined to be part of the team on per-
on sonal grounds. The Supreme Court has was set up by the top court on January
11, 2018, to supervise further probe into
allowed petitioner SGS Kahlon of Delhi
these cases in which closure reports
Sikh Gurdwara Management Commit-
tee to file suggestions on the report sub-
were filed earlier.
Dhingra mitted by the SIT. to the SIT report and said the “under-
During the hearing, Suri referred
A bench headed by Chief Justice S A
current is that police officials can’t go
Bobde was informed by senior advo-
scot-free for the things which had hap-
cate R S Suri, appearing for the petition-
report er, that the report of the SIT is damning pened”. “The report suggests that some
for police officials and they would file
action should be taken against police
officials as they were in connivance.
an application seeking action against
on 1984 the cops who were allegedly involved These police officials cannot go scot-
in the ghastly riots. Solicitor General
free. We will file a response to the re-
port,” Suri told the Bench and added he
Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Cen-
tre, told the bench that they have ac-
would also file an application seeking
Sikh cepted the recommendations made in action against police officials.
the report and they will take appropri-
ate steps.
“We have accepted the recommen-
riots dations and we will act accordingly as
per law. Lot of steps are required to be
taken and it will be taken,” Mehta told
the bench, also comprising Justices B R
Gavai and Surya Kant.
Earlier, in March last year, the Su-
tehelka bureau preme Court had granted two more
months to the SIT to complete its probe
into 186 riot cases after the SIT in-
he Union Government has formed it that more than 50 per cent of
told the Supreme Court they work was done and it wanted two more
have accepted the recom- months to complete the investigation.
mendations of a special in- Large-scale riots targeting members
T vestigation team (SIT), head- of the Sikh community had broken out
ed by retired Delhi High Court judge in the national capital in the aftermath
Justice SN Dhingra, which has probed of the assassination of the then prime
186 cases of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh
they will take appropriate action. security guards on the morning of Oc-
Reportedly, the report has said that tober 31, 1984. As per official version,
police, government and the prosecu- the violence had claimed 2,733 lives in
tion lacked in submitting their findings Delhi alone.
before the court at the right time. The
Dhingra Committee has said that the Role of police
Delhi government at the time and po- The report says that the whole effort
lice did not file their reports on time, seems to have been to hush up criminal
which led vital records of the cases to cases by the police, administration and
get lost. even judiciary. The SIT said there was
The SIT, also comprising retired IPS no intention of punishing the culprits
officer Rajdeep Singh and serving IPS and that acquittals were “handed over

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