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Grant relief to NBA activists in 4 weeks: Supreme Court

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Madhya Pradesh government to pay Rs. 5,000 each as compensation to 91 Narmada Bachao Andolan activists (Adivasis and farmers — men, women and children), who were arrested and subjected to police violence in July 2007 for staging a peaceful demonstration against displacement.

The amount, being 50 per cent of the compensation awarded by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, should be paid in four weeks, said a Bench consisting of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam.

The High Court treated a letter, written to the Chief Justice by NBA leader Medha Patkar from the Indore jail, as a petition and granted the relief, holding that the activists were illegally arrested and kept in jail, in violation of their fundamental rights.

The High Court said the government might recover the total compensation from officials found responsible, after conducting a special enquiry, or pay the amount directly.

Supreme Court directed the government to pay the compensation and posted its special leave petition against the High Court order for final hearing in August.

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