Functions and powers of the Claims Tribunal

(1) The Claims Tribunal shall be empowered to adjudicate upon the claims for compensation as reported under section 3 and to award suitable compensation related thereto. (2) The Claims Tribunal may, if it thinks fit, appoint a Claims Commissioner to estimate the damages and investigate liability to assist it in holding an enquiry. (3) The Claims Tribunal may, also appoint one Assessor in every district as the case may be to assist the Claims Commissioner who is technically qualified to assess such damage from the panel appointed by the State Government. (4) The remuneration, to be paid to the person or persons under sub section (2) and sub section (3) shall in every case be determined by the State Government. (5) The Claims Commissioner and the Assessor may seek instructions from the Claims Tribunal to summon the existing video or other recordings from private and public sources to pinpoint the damage and establish nexus with the perpetrators of the damage. (6) The Claims Commissioner shall make a report to the Claims Tribunal within a period of three months or within the extended time, if any, granted by the Claims Tribunal. The Claims Tribunal shall determine the liability after hearing the parties. (7) The claims Tribunals may, subject to any rules that may be made in this behalf, follow such summary procedure as it thinks fit. (8) The Claims Tribunal shall have all the powers of a Civil Court for the purposes of summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath, requiring the discovery and production of documents and material objects and for such other purposes as may be prescribed, and the Claims Tribunal shall be deemed to be a Civil Court for all the purposes of Section 215 and Chapter XXVIII of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Act No. 46 Year 2023).