The Karnataka government on Wednesday moved the High Court seeking initiation of a suo motu case to appoint a Claims Commissioner to assess damages caused to properties, and injuries to persons during violence at D.J. Halli and K.G. Halli on August 11 night, and to investigate the liabilities and determine compensation in terms of the Supreme Court’s guidelines.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shriniwas Oka and Justice Ashok S. Kinagi said it would take up the petition for hearing on Thursday.
This is for the first time that the State government has moved the High Court invoking the Supreme Court’s 2009 guidelines for dealing with instances of mass destruction of public and private property and to recover damages from persons responsible for causing the damage. The petition was filed based on the recommendation made on August 17 by City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant.
The Supreme Court had issued guidelines to appoint a Claims Commissioner through the respective High Courts for assessing damage caused not only to public and private property but also the damages causing injury or death to a person or persons, and the cost of action by the authorities and the police for preventive and other actions.
In the petition, the government pointed that 33 government vehicles and 109 private vehicles were either completely burnt and destroyed or extensively damaged.
In additional to the damages caused to the buildings of the D.J. Halli and the K.G. Police Stations, and the residence of Pulakeshinagar MLA R. Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, damages were also caused to eight other buildings during, the government said in the petition.
