New Delhi, Jan. 1 -- The Supreme Court has taken exception to the delay of over three years in carrying out its order directing a fresh assessment of compensation for victims of the 2006 fire at an exhibition in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut district that claimed 65 lives and left more than 160 injured with severe burns. Taking up the victims' plea for "just compensation", a bench comprising justices Prashant K Mishra and Vipul M Pancholi recently directed the immediate implementation of its April 2022 order. The court also nominated a senior judicial officer in Meerut to carry out the exercise and submit a report to the court by January 21, 2026. The order, passed on December 10, said: "Despite there being a lapse of three-and-a-half years after the above order (of April 12, 2022) being passed, the report of the nominated District Judge/Additional District Judge is not available." The court directed the nominated judge to expeditiously complete the exercise and submit a report through the Registrar General of the Allahabad high court. "The report must reach this court one week before the next date of hearing on January 28," the order said. The court was hearing a petition filed by four people who lost their loved ones in the tragedy that occurred on April 10, 2006, when a major fire broke out at the India Brand Consumer Show at Victoria Park, Meerut, by Mrinal Events and Expositions. Earlier, the Centre had paid ex gratia compensation of Rs.1 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs.50,000 each for those with serious injuries. State compensation amounted to Rs.5 lakh per deceased victim, Rs.2 lakh for serious injuries, and Rs.75,000 for minor injuries. While the organisers had deposited a sum of Rs.30 lakh which has since been disbursed, the court in 2022 nominated a judicial officer to determine "just compensation" based on the principles of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, within a four-month period. After the deadline lapsed, the matter was brought back to the list on December 10. The judgment had said, "The amount of compensation payable to each of the victims including the families of the deceased have not been computed and such amount is required to be computed in accordance with the principles of just compensation as in the case of accident under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 by the Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal." Although the organisers denied liability and sought to shift blame onto the contractor responsible for the arrangements, the judgment said: "Right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India is the most sacred right preserved and protected under the Constitution, violation of which is always actionable and there is no necessity of statutory provision as such for preserving that right. Article 21 has to be read into all public safety statutes, since the prime object of public safety legislation is to protect the individual and to compensate him for the loss suffered." After the tragedy, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed a judicial commission to inquire into the cause of the incident and assess liability. However, the matter reached the Supreme Court, which in 2015 rejected the state's findings and appointed a one-man commission headed by retired Supreme Court justice SB Sinha. The committee submitted its report in June 2015, concluding that the organisers were at fault for failing to take necessary safety precautions....