ALLAHABAD, July 9, 2015
The Allahabad High Court has asked Uttar Pradesh government to file its reply on a petition alleging discrimination in grant of compensation to victims of police firing in Hashimpura locality of Meerut which was rocked by communal clashes in 1987.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant Verma, passed the order on a Public Interest Litigation filed by social organization “Sach” through its president Sandeep Pahal.
The court, while granting four weeks’ time to the state government for filing a counter-affidavit, fixed August 5 as the next date of hearing in the matter.
The petitioner had contended that on June 5 last, the state government had taken a decision to award a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to legal heirs of 38 persons who were killed and five others who had received grievous injuries in the police firing that followed the communal riots in Hashimpura.