“The real culprits have come to light after so many years and the CBI has now appointed a junior lawyer to fight its case solely to defeat its own purpose,” Badal told The Indian Express.

Wadia said the allegations are “absolutely baseless.” “I have been registered as an advocate since 1971 and as a CBI prosecutor in the trial courts for more than 23 years,” he said. He said his designation in the agency was that of an “Additional Legal Advisor and Special Public Prosecutor.” Wadia said “he had no special interest in the case.” “I am here on the directions given to me by the CBI director and am willing to relieve myself of the responsibility if given the orders to do so,” Wadia added.

On November 1, 1984, Naveen Singh, a resident of Sultanpuri, was murdered by a mob allegedly instigated by Kumar. In August 1987, a committee formed by the Centre comprising M L Jain, a retired Delhi High Court Judge, and A K Bannerjee, an IPS officer, recommended the registration of the case after Singh’s wife filed an affidavit that her case was not “deliberately registered” by the Sultanpuri police in 1984.

In August 1990, CBI registered the case and, a year later, filed a chargesheet against Kumar, Jai Kishan, a sitting MLA from Delhi, and 11others before a lower court. Five of the accused died later.

During the trial, though two witnesses identified Kumar as leading the mob, the case collapsed when 50 others turned hostile. Kaur, herself, had identified Kumar in three hearings, but her testimony was dismissed as “contradictory” in a subsequent session. The trial court acquitted the eight accused on the “benefit of doubt”.