The SIT will also be examining cases in which a lower court acquitted the accused, and will if required recommend that the legal authorities concerned file a writ/appeal in a higher court. The tenure of the SIT has been fixed as six months. (Representational)Acting on a writ petition filed in Supreme Court regarding the 1984 Sikh riots in Kanpur, the state government on Tuesday said it would set up a four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to examine all FIRs in which final reports were filed.
The SIT will also be examining cases in which a lower court acquitted the accused, and will if required recommend that the legal authorities concerned file a writ/appeal in a higher court. The tenure of the SIT has been fixed as six months.
According to a notification issued by Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar, a writ petition – Manjit Singh and others vs Government of India – filed in 2017 in the Supreme Court had asked that the respondents be directed for further investigation into six FIRs lodged at Bazaria police station and one at Nazirabad police station, along with others, by forming an SIT to investigate cases lodged in Kanpur during the Sikh riots. The writ also requested the court to direct the respondents to re-investigate five cases at Bazaria and one at Nazirabad police station in which final reports were filed due to absence of evidence, read the home department notification.
It further stated, “The points of investigation for the SIT would include examining all the FIRs in connection with the 1984 Sikh riots in Kanpur in which final reports were filed. Give priority to cases of henious crimes. If found appropriate, then the SIT would further investigate the cases under section 173 (8) of the CrPC and will examine the cases where court acquitted the accused, giving priority to cases of henious crimes. During examination, if it is found that no writ/ appeal was filed in cases while it was required as per merit, the SIT will recommend for filing writ/appeal in such cases.”
Kumar told The Indian Express the decision to form an SIT was taken considering the prayer made in the writ, and that the SC had not issued such a directive so far. The team will be headed by former UP DGP Atul as the chairman, District Judge (retird) Subhash Chandra Agarwal and Additional DG, Prosecution (retired) Yogeshwar Krishna Srivastava as members and a serving SSP or SP as member secretary.
