Gujarat riots: Extra Rs.85 crore relief to be given to victims

GANDHINAGAR - The Gujarat High Court was informed Tuesday that the state government would disburse another Rs.85 crore compensation to 752 victims of the 2002 communal riots.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice K.M. Thaker was told by the state government that it would disburse the amount after completing the administrative procedure.

The Gujarat government’s statement followed the central government’s submission that it had given Rs.85 crore to the state for compensating the riot victims.

The state government told the court that it earlier disbursed Rs.262 crore released by the central government for the victims.

Counsel for the state government submitted that compensation in six cases of death and 37 cases of injury linked to the riots had not been disbursed due to dispute over the legal heir of victims and absence of statutory documents.

There were a total 1,169 cases of death and 2,548 cases of injury in the riots, the state government said.

The state government earlier refused to give jobs to family members of those killed in riots in the absence of any policy. But after a court direction, it set up a committee to decide the issue.

On Tuesday, the court asked the state to inform it about the decision taken on the issue of giving government jobs on compassionate grounds.

The matter would come up next Jan 13.