Gujarat govt will not have to rebuild religious structures

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a Gujarat high court order asking the state government to pay for repair and reconstruction of religious structures damaged during the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and justice PC Pant, however, said the state government’s scheme of paying ex gratia of ₹50,000 for damaged residential and commercial properties would apply to religious properties a well.

According to official estimates, nearly 800 Muslims and more than 250 Hindus were killed in the violence in February-March, 2002, and is considered one of the worst communal riots in the country since Independence. Activists, however, say the toll was much higher. The violence was sparked by the death of 57 Hindu pilgrims, burnt alive in a train compartment in Godhra.

The top court was hearing a petition filed by the Gujarat government challenging the high court order directing it to pay compensation to repair and rebuild more than 500 shrines.

“Our plea has been allowed,” additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who represented the state government, told HT.

The state government had told the court it was willing to pay ex gratia amount for reconstruction works of various structures, shops and houses. In an earlier hearing, the top court had wondered if it would be proper in a secular state to order compensation for rebuilding places of worship.