The Supreme Court on Monday disallowed a plea given by the Narendra Modi government to stay the Gujarat High Court order directing it to pay compensation to over 500 shrines damaged during the 2002 riots, triggered after the Godhra incident.
A bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra instead asked the state government to tell if any study was undertaken to assess the damage caused to the religious structure and the cost involved in their reconstruction.
During the brief hearing, additional Advocate General Tushar Mehta and state government counsel Hemantika Wahi assailed the HC’s February 8 order terming it to be “erroneous” on the ground that a government was not required to fund the religious bodies under our Constitutional principles.
On a petition filed by NGO Islamic Relief Committee of Gujarat (IRCG), the HC had pulled up the state government over its negligence during the post-Godhra riots.
The Court had directed the principal judges of 26 districts of the state to receive the applications for compensation of religious structures in their respective districts and decide on it.
They have been asked to send their decisions to the high court within six months.