The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the North-East Delhi Riots Claims Commission (NEDRCC) to submit a status report regarding the details of the claims received by it from victims and the amounts disbursed so far.
Justice Prathiba M. Singh also asked the secretary of the NEDRCC, which was set up by the Delhi government in April 2020, to give details on the procedure followed by it while processing applications for claims and award of compensation. The High Court listed the matter for further hearing on April 28.
The order came while hearing a bunch of petitions by victims of the riots seeking compensation as per Delhi government’s assistance scheme for the help of victims. Many of them have asked for enhanced compensation.
During the hearing, one of the petitioners submitted that the office of the claims commission has conducted surveys in some of the cases and the amounts awarded are much less than what has been fixed under the Delhi government scheme.
Delhi government’s lawyer submitted that the NEDRCC has been assessing the claims, adding that a status report can be called for complete details regarding the progress made in the applications.
The 15-year-old son of one of the petitioners, Ram Sugarat, died after being hit by a tear gas shell on February 26, 2020, in Gokulpuri. Another petitioner Rihana Khatoon’s 17-year-old son lost his life after a gunshot to his head on February 25, 2020, near the Jafrabad metro station.
The parents of the two children have challenged the fixing of a maximum compensation of ₹5 lakh for the death of a child in riots, while the maximum compensation for death of an adult has been fixed at ₹10 lakh.
“When it comes to the families of deceased riot victims, compensation must be such that it is somewhat commensurate to the actual damages suffered. Particularly, in the case of deceased minors, such damage goes beyond just the loss of income of the deceased family member,” the plea said.
It sought direction to authorities to award an equal compensation of ₹10 lakh to the families of all deceased riot victims under the Delhi government’s assistance scheme for the help of riot victims, irrespective of whether they are minors or adults.
