1984 riots: Witness gives conditional consent for polygraph test

New Delhi, Arms dealer Abhishek Verma on Thursday said he was ready for a lie-detector test in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case if Congress leader Jagdish Tytler, given a clean chit by CBI for his alleged role, also agreed to it.

Verma, who apprehends threat to his life and to his family, told a city court that he had no objection in undergoing the polygraph test if he was provided with adequate security and the process was videographed.

Tytler has objected to the test saying CBI has not given any reason for conducting it and its plea for conducting it was “gross misuse of law” and filed with “malafide intention”.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Shivali Sharma took on record the reply filed by Verma and listed CBI’s plea seeking to conduct lie detection test of Tytler and Verma for March 16 for hearing arguments.
Advocate Maninder Singh, who appeared for Verma, said he has been made a witness by the CBI in the case and it would be more proper if the agency records his statement before a magistrate under Section 164 of CrPC as he would not be able to retract from it.
“If Tytler agrees for the test, I have no objection on it. But if I am going for the test, adequate security should be provided to me and my family, as I am under threat.
“Asking me for lie detection test is more of pointing fingers at me rather than the accused. I am a witness and I am coming forward to help prosecution,” the counsel submitted.
While giving conditional consent, he also said the questions put to Verma during the test should be related to this case only and not to any other case in which he has been made accused by the agency.
The CBI prosecutor, however, said the consent should be unconditional and there should not be any condition.
During the hearing, senior advocate H S Phoolka, who represented riot victims, said keeping in mind the background of the case, the witness should be provided adequate security.
On Verma’s plea seeking protection, CBI told the court it has forwarded the complaint to the Delhi Police.
The case pertains to riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in north Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984, a day after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.