New Delhi: The Delhi High Court announced on Tuesday that it will hear a plea filed by former union minister and Congress leader Jagdish Tytler on November 29, challenging the framing of charges, including murder, against him in connection with the killings of three individuals in the Pul Bangash area during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri scheduled the matter for further hearing and requested the counsel representing Tytler to submit statements from certain witnesses that are currently not part of the record. The trial court had previously stated on August 30 that there was sufficient evidence to put Tytler on trial for various charges. On September 13, the court formally framed charges of murder, rioting, promoting enmity between different groups, unlawful assembly, house trespass, and theft against him after Tytler pleaded not guilty to the allegations. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed the chargesheet against Tytler on May 20 of the previous year. In his plea to the High Court, Tytler seeks to quash the trial court's order, arguing that the court has erroneously framed charges against him, overlooking established legal principles regarding the point of charge. He claims that the trial court's order is perverse, illegal, and demonstrates a lack of application of mind.

At 80 years old and suffering from various health issues, Tytler asserts that this case represents a "classic case of witch-hunt and harassment," contending that he is being subjected to trial for an alleged offense that occurred more than four decades ago. During Tuesday's hearing, Tytler's counsel raised an alibi, stating that he was not present at the scene during the incident. However, the CBI and victims opposed this plea, noting that it had previously been decided and rejected by the High Court.

The CBI's chargesheet alleges that Tytler incited a mob that led to the burning of three Sikhs in Pul Bangash on November 1, 1984, a day after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in Delhi. Tytler has consistently denied these charges, maintaining that he was at Teen Murty Bhavan on the day of the incident, managing various arrangements following Indira Gandhi's death on October 31, 1984.

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