Former Delhi judge backs Tewari on ‘malicious’ video

Tribune News Service
Ropar, May 4

A day after the district police arrested a BJP leader for allegedly circulating a video clip regarding false allegations against the father of Congress candidate from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari, Justice Rupinder Singh Sodhi, a former judge of the Delhi High Court, came to the defence of the Tewari family.

A video clip alleging that Prof VN Tewari, father of Manish Tewari, was involved in the anti-Sikh riots in 1984 was posted on social media. On Tewari’s complaint, the police have already arrested district vice president of BJP Naresh Chawla from Nangal and identified eight other accused.

Justice Sodhi, who before being elevated to the Bench had defended Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, the two assassins of Indira Gandhi as also Sukha and Jinda, said he knew Prof Tewari personally and he had nothing to do with the riots.

“Prof Tewari was assassinated on April 3, 1984, six months before the riots broke out in Delhi. How could he be involved?” Justice Sodhi pointed out, adding if Prof Tewari were alive at that time, he would have saved the Sikhs at the cost of his own life as “he was a fine human being”. He said such rumours were being circulated to influence the voters of Punjab.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders and workers staged a protest against the state government when Naresh Chawla was produced in the district court here. They alleged that the BJP men were being implicated in false cases at the behest of the Congress.

Viral clip 

“Prof Tewari was assassinated on April 3, 1984, six months before the riots broke out in Delhi. How could he be involved?” Justice Sodhi pointed out, adding if Prof Tewari were alive at that time, he would have saved the Sikhs at the cost of his own life as "he was a fine human being".