In Brief
The Supreme Court disposed of writ petitions arising from communal violence in Kandhamal, Orissa following the assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati in 2008. The violence resulted in 39 deaths, damage to 4,822 houses and 232 religious institutions, and displacement of thousands. Rejecting prayers to transfer investigations to the CBI (as 827 cases had already been registered and investigated), the Court directed additional ex-gratia compensation: Rs. 3 lakhs per death; Rs. 30,000-10,000 per injured person; and Rs. 50,000-20,000 per damaged house, acknowledging the State's relief measures while ensuring minorities felt secure and protected.
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