Blue Star issue: HC asks CBI, Punjab to return articles

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday directed the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) and the Punjab government to return expeditiously articles in their possession, if any, which were recovered during the Operation Blue Star at the Golden Temple complex in June, 1984. <br /><br />At the same time, it also directed the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Amritsar to approach the concerned court for orders in this regard.<br /><br />The orders were given by the division bench of the Chief Justice Binod Kumar Roy and Justice Surya Kant while disposing of a petition preferred by Tarn-Taran-based Satnam Singh wherein SGPC was also later added as a petitioner. <br /><br />The petitioners had sought directions to the CBI and the union government among others to return over 16,000 books, manuscripts it had removed during the army operation at the Golden Temple complex.<br /><br />However, the CBI in its reply maintained that except for five articles, it had already handed over to the concerned authorities all the articles which had been recovered by the army and subsequently handed over to it while entrusting the investigation into the case pertaining to the activities.<br /><br />It was maintained by the union government in its reply filed in response to the petition that army authorities had handed over about 4000 documents recovered from the Golden Temples complex during the Operation Blue Star. <br /><br />All the treasures and artifacts as also other historical and non-historical items recovered from the complex were either handed over to the SGPC and its functionaries or to the government treasurers or to the CBI, it further submitted. <br /><br />The board had found certain other items in Kotha Sahib and Bambi Wala. The major items were left untouched as per instructions of head Granthi Giani Pritam Singh. <br /><br />The union government also informed that the valuables were handed over to Kailash Chand Sharma officiating treasury officer, Amritsar on June 13, 1984 and it included gold and gold ornaments, silver and silver ornaments, precious stones, semi precious stones and pearls, government currency notes worth Rs 30,93,936 and coins, currency and fixed deposit receipts (FDRs).<br /><br /><formid=367815></formid=367815></div> </div>