NEW DELHI: A high-profile witness has alleged that senior Congress member Jagdish Tytler told him that he got a clean chit from CBI in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case after he met then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . The shocking allegation was made by arms dealer Abhishek Verma in his statement as a witness recorded by the CBI.

Verma is an accused in the naval war room leak case. His statement appears to be referring to the clean chit Tytler got in March, 2010 when CBI for the second time filed its closure report before a trial court.

In the statement recorded by CBI on August 5, 2013, Verma claimed that “Tytler had boasted of having met the PM who would ask the CBI director to get the investigation conducted in his favour. He said CBI gave him a clean chit due to the meeting, but the judge was not inclined to accept it for which he was making an effort to make a settlement.” He added that Tytler also told him that a deal was struck and a hefty amount paid to a witness who had deposed against him.

The conversation allegedly took place between Verma and Tytler after the former’s release from jail in the naval leak case when they were going to Congress ex-MLA Gopal Kanda’s farmhouse in August-September, 2008.

The shocking claims of Verma is part of CBI’s third closure report filed in December last year before a trial court, which on Wednesday heard arguments and directed the agency to respond to the allegations. When the court asked for CBI’s stand, the prosecutor sought time to ascertain facts.

During the hearing, senior advocate HS Phoolka , who represents the riot victims, said it was shocking that even after receiving evidence of such incriminating nature CBI submitted a closure report. In the closure report, CBI said that Verma’s oral evidence indicated that Tytler might have tried to influence witness Surinder Singh Granthi. However, the agency added that Verma’s narration could not be verified as Surinder has since expired.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler posted the case for June 26 asking the prosecutor to inform him about the action taken by CBI on the allegations that Tytler had paid money to the witness, apart from an alleged hawala transaction.

Tytler had allegedly also told Verma that the then Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit was behind the propaganda against him as she did not want him to get a clean chit as he would have been a key contender for the CM’s post in 2008.

The case pertains to riots at Gurudwara Pulbangash in north Delhi where three people were killed on November 1, 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. CBI had claimed Tytler was not present at the gurudwara but at Teen Murti House where Indira Gandhi’s body was lying.

In its third closure report, CBI recorded the statement of Amitabh Bachchan, who had visited Teen Murti House. Bachchan, whose testimony was recorded on June 15, 2013, told CBI that he did not recollect whether Tytler was present there. The closure report also contains statements of RK Dhawan (former personal secretary of Indira Gandhi) and Gautam Kaul (the then additional commissioner of police). Both told CBI they did not remember when Tytler visited Teen Murti House.

CBI report