New Delhi, Nov 10: The Nanavati Commission, probing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, today asked senior Congress leaders Vasant Sathe and Kamal Nath and Delhi Police Joint Commissioner Amodh Kanth and other noticees to reply by December 12 to the evidence brought against them on record by the witnesses. The commission on October 28 had issued notices to them and 11 others under the commission of inquiry act asking them to produce evidence in their defence as it felt their reputation was likely to be "prejudicially affected" by the inquiry report.
The noticees were today supplied with the materials and were directed to reply to the evidence brought against them in respect of the riots that followed the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Asked to comment on the evidence which has come against him before the commission, Sathe told reporters that "I have just got the materials and I have to go through it."
However, his counsel and party MP R K Anand was quick to add that "everything has been politically motivated".
Anand, appearing as counsel for Kamal Nath accepted the materials on his behalf.
The then Congress MP from Karol Bagh, Dharam Das Shastri and the then Additional Commissioner of Police Gautam Kaul appeared before the commission.
Bureau Report