SC asks Guj govt to provide details of shrines damaged

Gujarat government was Monday directed to furnish details of over 500 shrines destroyed or damaged in the 2002 riots.

The Supreme Court, while hearing a plea by the state government, asked for details on the amount needed to repair the religious sites damaged during the communal riots between Hindus and Muslims in 2002.

The state government had sought a stay on a Gujarat High Court order to pay compensation.

The court has asked the government to quantify the amount needed to repair the religious sites damaged during the riots.

According to reports, the apex court will also examine whether a high court can direct a state government to compensate for damages caused to religious places during violence or natural calamities.

"An apex court bench headed by Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan said that it will also look into Article 27 and whether under this the tax payers' money could be used for the repair or restoration of religious places damaged during riots or natural calamities," an IANS report said.

The court's observation came after Gujarat's Additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta contended that public money could not be released for the restoration or repair of a damaged religious structure.

The High Court on February 8 had ordered the state government to award compensation for rebuilding of the damaged shrines, mostly belonging to minority community.

HC's division of acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice JB Pardiwala had ordered compensation for more than 500 religious places.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Islamic Relief Committee of Gujarat in 2003 seeking compensation for 572-odd religious places damaged during the 2002 riots.

Responding to the petition, the bench rapped the government for its "negligence" and failure on the part of the police to take timely action.

"The fact that the riot continued for several days itself suggests lack of appropriate action or adequate action, if not inaction, on the part of the state in handling the situation," the bench had said.

The state government had refused to grant any compensation on the ground that there was no such policy and they didn't provide such relief even during the major earthquake that hit Gujarat in 2001.