Vienna riots: ‘Set up claims panel within a week’

Rebuking the Punjab government and passing strictures against it for not being able to identify those involved in the post-Vienna riots,the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed the state to set up a one-man Commission to determine the extent of the damage caused and the compensation to be awarded,to those who suffered from the violence. The riots had broken out in Punjab,nearly three years back,following the murder of a religious leader in Vienna.

The court gave the state a week’s time to appoint the Claims Commissioner.

Referring to a Supreme Court judgment,a division bench of acting Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Alok Singh observed that ‘exemplary damages’ should be awarded to those whose properties had been damaged in the riots.

While criticising Punjab government for “dragging its feet” in the case,the Bench also reprimanded the state Advocate General,Ashok Aggarwal for attempting to “wriggle out” and “resisting” the setting up of the Claims Commission.