The Justice G.T. Nanavati commission was a one-man commission headed by Justice G.T. Nanavati, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India, appointed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in May 2000, to investigate the " killing of innocent sikhs" during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The commission was mandated to submit its report within six months, but it took five years. The report in two volumes was completed in February 2005.
Contents
Focus
The commission report details accusations and evidence against senior members of the Delhi wing of the then ruling Congress Party, including Jagdish Tytler, later a Cabinet Minister, MP Sajjan Kumar and late minister H.K.L. Bhagat. They were accused of instigating mobs to avenge the assassination of Indira Gandhi by killing Sikhs in their constituencies. The report also held the then Lt. Governor PG Gavai for failure in his duty and late orders for controlling of the riots.
Role of Delhi Police
The Commission also held the then Delhi police commissioner S.C. Tandon directly responsible for the riots.
Aftermath
There was widespread protest against the report as it did not mention clearly the role of Tytler and other members of Congress Party in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The report led to the resignation of Jagdish Tytler from the Union Cabinet. Few days after the report was tabled in the Parliament, The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also apologised to the Sikh community for Operation Blue Star and riots that followed. The report stated that Jagdish Tytler "very probably" had a hand in the riots.
The report had been lambasted by the Congress dominated United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accepted the report and criticized the Congress party as "guilty".