The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that it was handing over 186 cases related to the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 to a new special investigation team (SIT) after a previous one constituted by the Centre had closed 241 such cases.
The court directed the Centre to announce names for the three-member SIT on Wednesday itself; the Supreme Court announced that the SIT would be headed by a former High Court judge.
The SC announced its decision after receiving a report from two retired judges on the previous SIT probe. The Narendra Modi government had constituted an SIT in early 2015 to examine 293 anti-Sikh riot cases. The SIT closed 241 of the cases, citing lack of evidence; following this, in August 2016, the Supreme Court appointed a panel to review the decision to close the 241 cases.
More than 2,500 people were killed in the anti-Sikh riots, which erupted after the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards, who were Sikhs. The issue has been politically contentious, with the BJP accusing the Congress of protecting those accused of organising the riots.
(With agency inputs)
