Loss to be recovered for property damage: Tamil Nadu govt to High Court

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Government on Monday informed the Madras High Court that it would take up the process of recovery of loss for damage caused to public property during violence in June in Ambur town in Vellore district once the assessment work was completed.

The submission was made by Government pleader S T S Moorthy before a bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam when it took up a PIL by BJP leader H Raja seeking a direction to authorities to recover the loss from the perpetrators of the violence under the relevant act.

The pleader said the process of assessing the extent of damage had already been started and would be completed in eight weeks. Thereafter, the process of recovery would start. Recording the statement, the bench disposed of the PIL.

The petitioner had submitted that more than 50 police personnel were injured and public properties worth a few crores of rupees damaged during the violence by a mob.

Noting that police have registered seven cases of assault, arson and damage against various groups of protesters, he said they must be directed to invoke the provisions of Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act,1992, assess the damage and recover the same from the accused.

The violence was sparked by the death of one Shameel Ahmed on June 27 after alleged illegal detention by police in connection with a woman 'missing' case.

Alleging that police torture led to Ahmed's death, an irate mob went on a rampage setting ablaze police and public transport vehicles and damaging government properties. A total of 118 persons were arrested in connection with the violence and later granted bail by the high court.