M A I N   N E W S

Mirchpur: SC rejects Hisar DC’s status report on relief 
Tells Home Secretary to file affidavit in a week
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, July 24
The Supreme Court today rejected Hisar Deputy Commissioner’s status report on the relief and rehabilitation provided to the victims of the April 2010 anti-Dalit violence at Mirchpur village and directed the Principal Secretary (Home) to file an affidavit on the issue within a week.

A bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya took strong exception to the DC filing an affidavit in the SC, pointing out that he was not the proper authority for the purpose as he could not speak on behalf of the state government.

The bench passed the order even as senior counsel PN Misra and Additional Advocate General (AAG) Manjit Singh Dalal contended that a loss of Rs 33.87 crore suffered by the Railways during a Jat agitation was only notional. The Railways had assessed the loss on the basis of non-operation of trains due to the agitation, while the actual loss on account of damage to property was only Rs 7.23 lakh, they said.

The case relating to the Mirchpur violence has been clubbed with the Jat agitation for job quota in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and the road blockade in Manipur.

During the hearing last week, the Bench wanted to know whether the Haryana Government could be asked to compensate the Railways and later recover the amount from the sponsors of the agitation. It had also asked Solicitor General Rohinton Nariman whether there was a legal provision for the SC to ask the Election Commission to de-recognise political parties that sponsored or organised violent agitations.

Citing a 2002 SC verdict, the SG today informed the Bench that neither the apex court nor the EC had the power to de-recognise political parties on such grounds.

The next hearing in the case would be held two weeks later. 

‘Victim compensated’

Additional Advocate General Manjit Singh Dalal said the Haryana Government had provided Rs 20 lakh to the wife and three sons of Tara Chand, who had died in the violence

The government had paid Rs 5 lakh each, despite the fact that the victim was a non-earning member of the family, he said

Under the SC/ST Act, there was a provision to pay only Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the death of any non-earning member