NEW DELHI: The hearing in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case relating to the killing of five persons at Delhi Cantonments took a surprise turn on Wednesday when a witness turned hostile.
After adjourning the recording of statements twice this week due to key witness Jagdish Kaur's ill-health, a trial court resumed the process on Wednesday. Even though Jagdish Kaur could not appear before the court, additional sessions Judge Sunita Gupta asked the prosecution to record the statements of the other witnesses.
The court was recording the statement of the second witness, Lal Chand Khemani, who had bought a house owned by Kaur in a locality here in 1993. The witness was declared hostile by the prosecution after he told the court that he did not remember if he had brought the house from Kaur.
The CBI then sought the court's permission to cross-examine him. The investigating agency asked him if the sale deed of the house had Jagdish Kaur's name on it and Khemain said yes. The prosecution then declared the witness hostile.
Kaur had on July 3 identified former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, his nephew Balwant Khokkar and his two accomplices Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal as those who had allegedly instigated mobs during the carnage. She had lost five of her family members, including her husband, in the riots.
Earlier during the hearing, her blood pressure had shot up and she was taken to the hospital. Her counsel had informed the court on Tuesday that her blood pressure was high and she was being treated in Ganga Ram hospital.
Witness in '84 riots case turns hostile - Delhi - City - The Times of India
After adjourning the recording of statements twice this week due to key witness Jagdish Kaur's ill-health, a trial court resumed the process on Wednesday. Even though Jagdish Kaur could not appear before the court, additional sessions Judge Sunita Gupta asked the prosecution to record the statements of the other witnesses.
The court was recording the statement of the second witness, Lal Chand Khemani, who had bought a house owned by Kaur in a locality here in 1993. The witness was declared hostile by the prosecution after he told the court that he did not remember if he had brought the house from Kaur.
The CBI then sought the court's permission to cross-examine him. The investigating agency asked him if the sale deed of the house had Jagdish Kaur's name on it and Khemain said yes. The prosecution then declared the witness hostile.
Kaur had on July 3 identified former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, his nephew Balwant Khokkar and his two accomplices Girdhari Lal and Captain Bhagmal as those who had allegedly instigated mobs during the carnage. She had lost five of her family members, including her husband, in the riots.
Earlier during the hearing, her blood pressure had shot up and she was taken to the hospital. Her counsel had informed the court on Tuesday that her blood pressure was high and she was being treated in Ganga Ram hospital.
Witness in '84 riots case turns hostile - Delhi - City - The Times of India
