Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court today asked the
state government to put on record its policy with regard to
compensation for restoration of religious places damaged or
destroyed during the 2002 riots.
A division bench of Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya and
Justice A S Dave gave the direction while hearing a petition
filed by Islamic Relief Committee of Gujarat (IRCG).
IRCG's petition filed in 2003 had sought court's
directions to the government to pay compensation for religious
places damaged during riots on the ground that the National
Human Rights Commission too had recommended it and the state
government had in principle accepted the suggestion.
However, when the court asked state advocate general (AG)
Kamal Trivedi about government's stand on NHRC
recommendations, he denied that state had agreed to follow
them.
Upon this, the division bench observed, "You (the
state government) said yes to NHRC thinking that its a
toothless body, and seven years later you are denying it
before a court of law."
The court asked AG to check his records and asked the
government to put on record its policy on restoration of
religious structures destroyed during the 2002 riots. Further
hearing in the case is kept on March 5.
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 08, 2010, 22:38