NEW DELHI, India an atomic argued Friday the government cannot be forced to release the findings of a commission that investigated Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the Press trust of India news agency reported.
Lawyer R.K. Anand told the Delhi High Court that a presidential decree issued Thursday empowered the government to withhold the findings of official in quests if it believed national security, foreign relations or the public interest might be harmed the agency said.
‘The decree, which was issued by the President who is authorized to pass legislation during a parliamentary recess, amended a 34 year old law that required reports by Commissions of inquiry to be presented to Parliament within six ‘months of completion.
‘The Indian Express newspaper said Friday the decree was issued because the government wanted to keep confidential portions of a report dealing with security lapses at the time of the Oct. 31, 1984, assassination of Mrs., Gandhi by her two bodyguards,
‘Anand urged the high court to reject a lower court order to the government to show cause why the report prepared by a commission headed by a Justice be not ‘made public, the Press Trust said.
The Delhi High Court scheduled additional arguments for Monday. The show cause order was requested by the lawyer representing ‘Satwant Singh, a Sikh police officer convicted and sentenced to death in January for killing Mrs. Gandhi, A second Sikh bodyguard Beant Singh, was killed by other guards moments after the slaying.
‘Satwant Singh’s attorney, Pran ‘Nath Lekhi, said in requesting the show cause order the Thakkar ‘Commission report would have a bearing on his client’s case, Press Trust said.
Two other Sikhs have also been convicted in the assassination. The government said the Sikhs killed Mrs. Gandhi to avenge her June 1984 decision to send troops into the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the Sikhs’s holiest shrine.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 23, 1986
