Uttarakhand Cabinet gives nod for law to recover damages of property from rioters

Uttarakhand Cabinet approves ordinance to recover damages from rioters, setting up tribunal for assessment and compensation.

Uttarakhand Cabinet on March 4 gave nod to the ordinance which aims to recover the damage of the public property done during riots and protests from the rioters and those involved in the act. The government has also formed a tribunal which will assess the loss for the recovery. The rioters will also have to pay a fine upto ₹8 lakhs apart from the recovery amount which will be used to pay for the expenses incurred on government staff and other work in riot control.

The Cabinet nod to Uttarakhand Public (Government) and Recovery of Damage to Private Property (Ordinance) Act 2024, came in less than a month after the violence that broke in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura which left five dead and over 100 injured. The violence broke on February 8, after the civic body demolished an illegal Madrasa and Mazar, built on a Nazool land.

“With the aim of strictly curbing the cases of riots and unrest, the Cabinet has approved the constitution of a Special Tribunal. The damage caused to public property during the riots will be compensated by the rioters themselves. Those who disturb the peace of the state will have to pay a heavy price and will set an example which will be remembered for years by the generations of rioters who tarnished the sacred land of Devbhoomi,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami wrote on X.

The government communique says that in addition to compensation, the rioters will also have to pay for the treatment of those who will be injured in the violence. Apart from this, the entire expenses incurred during the riots on the police, administration or other agencies for riot control will also be recovered from the people involved in the same.

The government has duly approved the formation of Claims Tribunal under which the recovery will be made from the rioters and their family members. For this, an ADM category officer has been given the responsibility of Claims Commissioner. Whereas the Claims Tribunal includes members other than the retired judge.

“After getting the Cabinet’s nod, the government has sent this ordinance to the Governor for approval. Since the State Legislature is not currently in session, the Governor has the authority to implement this law in the State by using the powers conferred by Clause 1 of Article 213 of the Constitution of India,” said a senior government official.