New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court refused to give interim relief to Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, facing threat of arrest in 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, on Thursday.
Justice A K Pathak, hearing Kumar's anticipatory bail plea, refused to restrain the CBI from arresting him till Monday as pleaded by the former MP's counsel.
Advocate I U Khan, appearing for Kumar, submitted that the court should restrain the CBI from arresting him as the matter is pending here.
Khan submitted that there is no need to arrest Kumar in the case and the High Court should grant him relief till his anticipatory bail plea is decided by the bench.
The court will resume hearing the case on Monday as Justice Pathak will be on leave tomorrow, which opens the possibility of Kumar being arrested by CBI during the period.
Kumar had approached the High Court after a trial court had refused to grant him anticipatory bail.
When his petition had come for hearing yesterday in the High Court, Justice S L Bhayana had posted it for hearing before the regular bench of Justice Pathak where it was originally listed.
However, due to the non-appearance of Kumar in the trial court, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Lokesh Kumar Sharma had issued a non-bailable warrant against him, opening a possibility of his arrest by CBI ahead of the anticipatory bail plea hearing before the High Court.
CBI had chargesheeted 13 people, including Kumar, on January 13 in two separate 1984 riots cases for allegedly making provocative speeches, leading to the killing of 12 people in the violence that broke out following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The probe agency had filed the chargesheets in the court after concluding its investigation into the cases registered on the recommendation of Nanavati Commission in 2005.