The Gujarat government on Monday defended its decision not to finance the reconstruction of religious places damaged during post-Godhra riots, mainly those of minority community, and tried to draw a parallel with the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 claiming that several gurdwaras were yet to receive financial support from the Centre.
The defence to its decision by the BJP government came in oral submission by Gujarat’s additional advocate-general Tushar Mehta, in response to a specific query form a bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra, which wanted to know whether the state would not finance reconstruction of religious places damaged due to natural calamity like earthquake or tsunami.
Mr Mehta said in a secular state there was no precedent of financing the building of religious places even if they were damaged due to natural calamity. “Policy is to compensate the loss of life,” he said, adding several Sikh religious groups were seeking compensation for the damage of gurdwaras during the 1984 riots. After brief arguments on the contentious issue, the bench, however, directed Mr Mehta to submit a survey report on the shrines damaged during the post-Godhra riots. The SC was hearing the appeal of the state government against the Gujarat HC verdict of February 8, asking the state to compensate the damage caused to over 500 religious places, mainly those belonging to Muslims during the 2002 riots and in order to determine the amount to be paid, get a survey done of the shrines destroyed.
As he challenged the order at the very outset of the hearing, the bench said it would examine whether the reconstruction could be done at the cost of exchequer. “But when you compensate for the damage of a house washed in flood or destroyed in earthquake, why not the religious place,” the bench asked.
before issuing a direction to the government calling for the survey report and affidavit by July 30.