Munmun Kaur
Published On: February 19, 2022 at 14:31 IST
The Uttar Pradesh Government on February 18 informed the Supreme Court that it has withdrawn 274 recovery notices and Proceedings initiated against Anti-CAA protestors in 2019 for damages caused to public and private properties.
This came after the Supreme Court on February 11, pulled up the Uttar Pradesh Government for acting on the recovery notices issued to the alleged Anti-CAA protestors in December 2019, holding that the said Proceedings were contrary to the Law laid down by the Supreme Court and cannot be sustained.
A Bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant said that the Uttar Pradesh Government will refund the entire amount, which is worth crores of rupees, recovered from the alleged protestors due to the Proceedings initiated in 2019.
The Bench further granted the liberty to the UP Government to proceed against the alleged Anti-CAA protestors under the new Law i.e. Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property Act as notified on August 31, 2020.
The Bench also negatived the contention raised by the Additional Advocate General Garima Prashad that the protestors and the State Government be allowed to move the Claim Tribunal instead of directing refunds.
Apparently, this whole matter began when a Plea was filed by one Parwaiz Arif Titu seeking quashing of notices sent to the alleged protestors by the District administration for recovering losses caused by damage to public properties during the Anti-CAA agitations in UP. The Apex Court while hearing the Plea had then asked the State to respond to it.