NEW DELHI, MARCH 11: Reacting sharply to U P Government's decision to wind up a judicial commission meant to inquire proper implementation of Justice Rangnath Mishra commission's recommendations on 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Allahabad High Court has slapped contempt of court notice on it.The State Government had constituted an enquiry commission headed by Justice G B Singh, a retired High Court judge, as per directions of Allahabad High Court order on January 12 this year. Though the commission was supposed to submit its report within six weeks - by February 23, the Government did not even formally inform Justice Singh of his appointment, let alone providing basic infrastructure to run his office.Instead of being apologetic for its failure, the Government in an affidavit told a division bench comprising Justice S H A Raza and Justice R D Mathur on March 8 that due to financial crunch being faced by the State Government it was difficult for it to meet the expenses to sustain the commission.The Government was supposed to pay him a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 and another amount of Rs 3,000 to his secretary, a paltry sum for a Government which has been sustaining more than 90 ministers for over two years.The court issued a show cause notice to U P Chief Secretary Yogendra Narain on a contempt of court notice moved by Virendra Mohan Singh, a human rights activist on Thursday last. The Government is supposed to file its reply by March 27.Justice Singh was supposed to enquire the extent of implementation of a package offered by the State Government to riot victims that included an payment of Rs 50,000 (as against Rs 3.5 lakh offered in Delhi), a monthly sustenance allowance of Rs 1500, a shop to every victim's family and State Social Welfare Board to bear expenses of education and marriage of of riot victim's children.The petitioner alleged that the State Government wanted to wind up the commission for its report would have exposed the Government's "inefficiency" even after 17 years of the riots.Interestingly, the Centre too has not constituted a commission headed by a Supreme Court judge to inquire into 1984 riots as announced by the Union Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani in the Rajya Sabha about two months ago.``If recommendations of commission headed by a sitting judge of Supreme Court (who later became Chief Justice of India) are not worthy of implementation then the appointment of another commission seem to be a waste of money and an eye-wash,'' the petitioner Singh says.The UP Government has given plum postings to an IAS officer Brijendra, whom Justice Rangnath Mishra indicted for having "exceeded his brief", Singh claimed.
