The Supreme Court on Wednesday stated that it would set up a fresh three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into 186 anti-Sikh riot cases in which investigations were closed.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra also asked the Centre to suggest names today itself for the proposed panel, which will be headed by a former high court judge and consist of one retired and one serving police officer.

The apex court said the supervisory body, appointed by it has found that out of 241 cases, 186 cases had been closed without investigation. The top court also examined the report of the body which was submitted before it in a leather box with number lock system.

A total of 2,733 people lost their lives in Delhi alone in the 1984 riots, which had erupted after the assassination of then Prime Minister  Indira Gandhi.

Last year, the court had constituted the supervisory panel to examine the SIT’s decision to close 241 cases in the case and asked it to submit report in three months.

Earlier, the Centre had stated that closure reports were filed in 241 out of the 250 cases which were investigated by the SIT.

Petitioner S Gurlad Singh Kahlon had earlier informed the bench that the three-member SIT had taken up a total of 293 riot-related cases for scrutiny, adding that it had decided to close 199 of them after investigation.

A member of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Kahlon had sought the court’s direction for setting up an SIT to ensure speedy justice to riots victims.