Uttarakhand Proposes Law to Recover Damages from Rioters Following UCC

The “Uttarakhand Public and Private Property Damage Recovery Bill” is scheduled to be introduced by the Uttarakhand government during the budget session that starts on Monday. Despite the fact that Uttarakhand has mostly stayed quiet, official sources suggest that the recent riots in Haldwani were the catalyst for the need for legislation.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister, has reiterated the government’s resolve to pursue damages totaling crores from those who are charged with inciting riots in the Haldwani event.

According to official sources, the proposed measure would allow for the recovery of damages to private and public buildings brought on by riots or demonstrations. After passing the House, the measure will proceed to the governor for approval, at which point it will become an act.

After the official registration of the complaint, charges will be examined by a tribunal chaired by a retired judge. Once the parties have been consulted and the tribunal has evaluated the losses, it will issue a recovery order. Home department sources indicate that the tribunal’s ruling will be legally enforceable.

It has been reported that the Yogi Adityanath administration in Uttar Pradesh initially enacted the legislation in 2020, and that the Haryana government introduced a similar law in 2021. The third state to pass such a law will be Uttarakhand.

However, the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was enacted by the state legislature last month under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the BJP administration. Uttarakhand was the first state in the nation to approve the UCC law in the assembly as a result.