New Delhi, Nov 4 (TIWN): The Supreme Court on Friday issued a slew of directions for payment of compensation to the families of victims in the 1992-93 Mumbai communal riots and also for the revival of dormant cases, by constitution of a special cell, in connection with absconding accused.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Abhay S. Oka, and Vikram Nath noted that Article 21 of the Constitution of India confers a right on every citizen to live with human dignity and it encompasses into itself the right to live a meaningful and dignified life.

"If the citizens are forced to live in an atmosphere of communal tension, it affects their right to life guaranteed by Article 21. The violence witnessed by Mumbai in December 1992 and January 1993 adversely affected the right of the residents of the affected areas to lead dignified and meaningful life. It cannot be disputed that certain groups were responsible for the large-scale violence in December 1992 and January 1993," it said.

Justice Oka, who authored the judgment on behalf of the bench, said one of the root causes of their suffering was the failure of the state government to maintain law and order. Therefore, the affected persons had a right to seek compensation from the state government, he added.  During the hearing, the bench had asked the state government whether 168 people, on the missing list, were included among the 900 identified victims. The Maharashtra government had provided Rs 2 lakh compensation to the riot victims and it was paid to their legal heirs.