Reservation rows: 425 claims under process, HC told

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27

In an apparent damage-control mode, the Haryana Government has assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court of its full cooperation to the Claims Commission in processing 425 claims.

The assurance is significant as the Claims Commission appointed by the Haryana Government is looking at the previous reservation rows as well; and has asked all SPs and DCs to produce videos, other recordings, besides relevant material with them or with private or public sources.

As the case came up for resumed hearing before Justice Rajan Gupta’s Bench, an additional affidavit by Nitin Kumar Yadav, Secretary, Home Department, Haryana, was placed on record

Referring to the affidavit, Haryana Additional Advocate-General Lokesh Sinhal submitted that 425 claims had been received by the commission, which were under process. He further submitted that “various authorities shall extend full cooperation to the commission to ensure that there is no impediment in its proceedings”

The commission’s move to muster recordings and other relevant material is aimed at pinpointing damages; and to establish a nexus with actual perpetrators of crime and damage as well as the organisers of event giving rise to the liability on account of agitation in 2010, 2011, and 2012 which resulted in disruption of road and rail traffic, besides large-scale damage to public and private property

The High Court was earlier told that the commissioner had also sought from the authorities concerned the names of actual culprits and the perpetrators of crime with their specific role. Copies of the investigation report in respect of pending claims had also been asked for.

Another affidavit placed before the Bench on an earlier date of hearing had added that two public notices were issued regarding damages during the row. In response to the second notice, 416 claims were received in all, including 348 claims already received.

The High Court had earlier asked Haryana to abide by the Supreme Court directions for initiating preventive measures and providing teeth to the investigation while assessing loss or damages to public and private property.

The directions came ontwo petitions filed in public interest. In one of the petitions, Ludhiana-based non-government organisation Anti-Corruption Federation of India had sought directions to the state and other respondents “to appoint a claims commissioner to assess the loss and recover it from the culprits, including the organisers of the Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti.