1984 Sikh riots US court to hear plea on March 15

A US court is set to hear on March 15 a petition seeking a 'default judgement' against the Congress party for its alleged failure to defend the charges of conspiring, aiding, abetting and organizing attacks on Sikhs in November 1984.

The plea filed by a New York-based Sikh body is also urging judge Robert W Sweet of US federal court of the Southern District of New York to issue 'Letters Rogatory' for appearance of justice G T Nanavati.

In a statement, attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the legal adviser to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), said that the plaintiffs will ask the court to issue Letters Rogatory for appearance of justice Nanavati who had gone into the anti-Sikh riots in the wake of assassination of the then PM Indira Gandhi in 1984.

'Letters Rogatory' is a procedure provided in international law used by US courts to ask the courts of another country to assist them in the administration of justice.

SFJ will also move an application before the US court to appoint advocate H S Phoolka, advocate Navkiran Singh and AISSF president Karnail Singh Peermohammad as 'Overseas Amicus of the US Court'.

The summons was issued on March 1, after the Congress party apparently did not act on the court's direction to respond to the class action law suit filed under Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victim Protection Act.