Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh government has decided to put in place a ‘Niji Lok Parisampatti Nuksan Nivaran evam Vasooli Adhininiyam’ to penalize rioters including stone pelters who damage government and private properties during agitations or otherwise.
Rioters and stone pelters will not be spared, said home minister Narottam Mishra talking to media persons and sharing the information regarding the government’s decision on Wednesday.
Under the Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act, the minister said a claim tribunal would be set up under the Act to initiate proceedings to realise penalty from stone pelters and others who damage government and private properties.
The minister said, “The tribunal will be set up looking into the place of incidence. Like, if something has happened in Gwalior, Jabalpur or Indore the tribunal will function over there. The tribunal will have in it retired authorities of DG, IG (police) and secretary ranks. The tribunal will have powers of a civil court.”
The minister said in case any damage was caused to a public property the collector concerned would give information to the tribunal regarding the same. In case of private property the person concerned would do the same.
For the realization of the penalty the tribunal will have the powers like those vested in Land Revenue Act. The tribunal will dispose of the cases within a month. The tribunal will be responsible for getting the penalty realised from the accused and given the same to the person whose property has been damaged. Any appeal against the tribunal decision can be filed in the high court only, according to the minister.
Notably, in the backdrop of stone pelting incidents in Indore and certain other places chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced in January this year that a strict law would be enacted to deal with stone-pelters who damage public and private properties in Madhya Pradesh.
He had said, “Stone pelters are enemies to the society. Their crime is not a minor crime which may result in a stampede and cause loss of life. They create atmosphere of fear and terror in society. They will not be spared.”
Uttar Pradesh’ Yogi Adityanath government has already brought a bill passed in the state assembly in March this year as per which rioters and stone pelters found guilty of damaging government and private properties may face imprisonment up to one year and fine from Rs 5000 to Rs 1 lakh.
