The Hindu : SC notice to Centre, Gujarat on relief camps

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 23, 2002

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SC notice to Centre, Gujarat on relief camps

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI OCT. 22. The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre, the Gujarat Government and the National Human Rights Commission on a petition seeking reopening of relief camps for the Gujarat riot victims and transfer of all riot-related cases to the CBI.

A three-Judge Bench, comprising Justice V.N. Khare, Justice Ashok Bhan and Justice Arun Kumar, which issued the notice on a petition filed by the Jnanpith award winner, Mahashweta Devi, and 29 other eminent persons, directed it to be tagged along with the one filed earlier by Mallika Sarabhai on Gujarat riots.

The petition sought a direction to the State Government to reopen the relief camps till rehabilitation work was completed; transfer of all riot-related criminal cases to the CBI and setting up of special fast track courts to try the cases; to direct the State Government to impose fines on officials if riots ever erupted in their area and initiation of departmental and criminal proceedings against erring officials responsible for the February riots.

Further, the petition wanted that the National Human Rights Commission be asked to monitor relief and rehabilitation measures undertaken by the Gujarat Government and also to evolve a proper compensation scheme for the riot victims in the State.

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