New Delhi: Mincing no words, the Supreme Court on Wednesday held the Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh government responsible for negligence in preventing communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas.

The apex court added that there was no need for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the Muzaffarnagar communal riots that took place in September 2013.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam said that if the centre and the state intelligence agencies had smelled of what was happening at the ground level, then the riots could have been prevented.

Declining the prayer for CBI/SIT probe, the court referred to a number of steps that the state police has taken to deal with the situation and the subsequent actions.

The court said that the state had failed to protect the serious violation of fundamental rights of the people and said it was duty-bound to protect and uphold the people’s rights.

In a reference to a state government circular saying that the relief would be available to Muslim victims only, the court in one of its several directions said that the availability of relief should not be on the basis of victim’s religious denomination and it should be provided to genuine victims.

The apex court further directed the UP government to give police protection to victim families till completion of trial.

All accused persons named in Muzaffarnagar communal violence cases must be arrested, irrespective of their political affiliation, the court said.

The Uttar Pradesh government has opposed a plea for a CBI probe into the Muzaffarnagar riots, and told the Supreme Court that it did everything to contain the violence that broke out in September 2013.

The government has also informed the SC that it has enhanced the compensation for the kin of 65 people killed in the riots by Rs 3 lakh each.

A bench of Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Justice Ranjan Gogoi was informed by the Uttar Pradesh government that each of the families of those killed would now get Rs15 lakh.

Of this, Rs 13 lakh will be given by the state government and Rs 2 lakh by the centre.