Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday asked the Gujarat government to release the Rs 262-crore compensation given to victims of riots in the state in 2002.
The Central government released money for the compensation in May 2008, but the state government held it back on the ground that releasing the amount would violate the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls.
The court order came following a bunch of petitions filed by the riot victims saying they were yet to receive the compensation released by the central government through the state government.
A state government representative told the court during the hearing of the petitions Thursday that the state government could not distribute the compensation as the model code of conduct was in place during the Lok Sabha elections.
The restrictions under the code of conduct will be lifted next week.
As many as 1,180 people were killed in the sectarian violence after the burning of a coach of the Sabarmati Express left 59 dead at the Godhra railway station in Gujarat on February 27, 2002.
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