Chandigarh, Sept. 27 -- Seven years after widespread violence was reported in Panchkula and parts of Punjab and Haryana in 2017 following conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in two rape cases, the Punjab and Haryana high court will start hearing from October to examine whether government machinery failed in preventing the violence and also whether violence was result of some conspiracy between Dera followers and government functionaries. A full bench presided over by chief justice Sheel Nagu on Friday picked four of the issues, framed by high court in 2017, which it said, would deal with now. These include culpability of the state in violence and most importantly whether the state can recover the money from Dera Sacha Sauda head for damage to public and private property. On August 25, 2017, the Dera head was convicted in two rape cases of his disciples in 2002 at Sirsa-based Dera headquarters. This was his first conviction and he was brought to Panchkula from Sirsa in a large cavalcade to present him before the CBI court. As soon as the conviction order was passed, widespread violence started in Panchkula and parts of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh in which at least 41 persons had died, including 30 in Panchkula. Later, the Dera head had to be handed down the sentencing order through video hearing while he remained in Sunaria jail of Rohtak. Lakhs of dera followers had gathered in Panchkula, days prior to him being brought to Panchkula. Immediately, after he was convicted violence broke out and within hours the army had to take over the law and order situation in Panchkula. It was in these circumstances the high court had entertained a PIL, in which these questions now being considered by the high court, were framed. The court on Friday was initially inclined to dispose of the matter and hand it over to a tribunal to deal with the issue of damages and resultant compensation etc. However, amicus curaie, senior advocate Anupam Gupta opposed the move and after impassioned arguments of nearly half an hour, the court decided to deal with the four of the questions framed in 2017. Gupta had submitted that the matter was not limited to quantification of damages but also covered principles of culpability and accountability. "The main question is whether the state had failed in preventing violence," Gupta said. "It would be distressing and dismaying if the court treats it as just another case ... It would be nothing less than a tragic abdication of judicial responsibility," Gupta submitted. As per statements given in 2022 by the Punjab and Haryana governments, losses to public and private property and other expenses to the tune of Rs.290 crore were incurred by both the states in damages and security arrangements post conviction violence. The Punjab government had told court that it incurred Rs.38 crore on security arrangements and losses of another Rs.133 crore on damages to public and private property and loss to state exchequer. The total amount quoted by the state is Rs.171 crore. On the other hand, Haryana has told the court that a total of Rs.118.96 crore losses were incurred by the state....