SC asks Allahabad HC to nominate judicial officer for determining compensation for 2006 Meerut Fire Tragedy victims

New Delhi [India], April 12 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Allahabad High Court to nominate a judicial officer to determine the "compensation" for the 2006 Meerut Fire Tragedy victims.
A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and V. Ramasubramanian asked the High Court to provide all the necessary infrastructures to enable the officer to discharge his duties.
"We, therefore, request the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to entrust the work of determination of compensation to a Judicial Officer in the rank of District Judge/Additional District Judge at Meerut within two weeks of the order of this Court to work exclusively on the question of determination of the compensation on a day-to-day basis, " the top court said.
"The High Court shall provide all necessary infrastructures to enable the Officer to discharge his duties. The nominated Judicial Officer may permit the parties to lead such evidence as may be permissible. We hope that the nominated Judicial Officer shall calculate the amount of compensation and forward the report to this Court for consideration in respect of compensation in accordance with the law, " the top court said.
The court further ordered the compensation already paid should be taken into consideration while calculating the amount by the nominated Judicial Officer.
"The amount paid by the State and a sum of Rs 30 lakh deposited by the Organizers have been disbursed to the victims. The said amount, excluding the ex-gratia payments made, be taken into consideration while the determination of the amount payable by the Organizers and the State," the court said.
The court was hearing the petition preferred by the victims of the fire tragedy which occurred on April 10, 2006 evening, the last day of the India Brand Consumer Show organized at Victoria Park in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh by Mrinal Events and Expositions.
The incident claimed the lives of 65 persons and left 161 or more with burn injuries.
The court observed that the victims or their families visited the exhibition at the invitation of the Organizers and not that of the Contractor. The court held that the Organizers were supposed to make arrangements for putting up the exhibition hall, providing electricity and water and also the food stalls for the facility of the victims/visitors.
"They (Organizers) cannot take shelter on the ground that the Contractor who was given work order on March 9, 2006, was an independent contractor and the victims should seek remedy from him," the bench said.
As observed earlier, the contractor has worked for the Organizers and not for the victims and hence, the Organizers alone are responsible to protect the life and liberty of the victims, the court said.
Victims were represented through senior counsel Vikas Pahwa. (ANI)