The Anti-CAA rioters who indulged in arson and destruction of public properties during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have got a temporary breather. The process to recover damages to the tunes of 1.41 crores has been put on hold due to Wuhan coronavirus lockdown.
As per a Times Now report, Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash stated, “The process to recover damages and of attaching properties of those involved in the state capital is on hold as only essential activities are going on. Once, the lockdown is over, action will certainly be taken.”
The Lucknow administration had served notices to 53 vandals on the basis of FIRs. The deadline to pay the amount was the first week of April, after that, the process of attachment of the properties had to commence. Due to coronavirus pandemic, a nationwide lockdown was announced on March 25 that was later extended till May 3.
As per reports, in the Khadra area, some 13 protesters were identified and a loss of property was estimated at Rs 21,76,000. In Parivartan Chowk, 24 persons were identified and loss was estimated at Rs 69,65,000. In the Thakurganj area, 10 persons were identified and the loss was Rs 47,85,800, and in Kaiserbagh six protesters were identified and the loss there was Rs 1,75,000.
53 people were served recovery notices by the administration and were told to pay the recovery amount failing which the authorities were to start auctioning off their properties. The Yogi Adityanath government had also put up hoardings carrying names, addresses, and photographs of anti-CAA rioters, who were accused of damaging public property.
However, the Allahabad High Court had ordered the UP government to remove the hoardings, saying that there is no law backing the action of the government. The High Court has said that the posters were unwarranted interference in the privacy of people. But the Yogi government had filed a plea at the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order, saying that those vandalizing public and private property have no right of privacy. The apex court had referred the case to a larger bench.
Later, the UP government introduced an ordinance named the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damage to Public Properties Ordinance, 2020, thereby providing the authorization to the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh to confiscate properties of individuals involved in damaging property during riots in the state, including the recent anti-CAA riots.