File a better report in ‘92-93 riots case: Top court tells state

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the state government to implement its directions such as ensuring disposal of cases, grant of compensation to the kith and kin of the missing victims of the 1992 Mumbai riots and undertaking police reforms.

Irked over the non-compliance of its directions issued in a judgment of November 4, 2022, a bench comprising justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the Maharashtra Director General of Police and the home department secretary to look into the recommendations of the Justice B N Srikrishna Commission. “The state shall file a better compliance report by July 19,” the bench said and fixed a suo motu plea on the issue for hearing on July 26.

Noting that the recommendations of the commission were accepted by the state government in 2022, the SC issued a slew of directions in its judgment. “The state government shall provide details of 97 cases on dormant files to the registrar general of the Bombay High Court within one month from today,” it ordered. On receipt of the details, the HC on the administrative side shall issue necessary communication to the courts concerned in which the cases are pending to take necessary steps to trace the accused, the court added.

It had also directed the government to provide details of the “only pending riot-related criminal case before the sessions court at Mumbai to the HC's registrar general” which shall bring it to the notice of the concerned court for its disposal at the earliest. “The government shall expeditiously implement all the recommendations made by the Commission on the issue of reforms in the police force which were accepted by it,” the 2022 judgment had said.