We will make you pay every day: HC tells state over delay in disbursing compensation to rape survivor

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday directed the state government to pay ₹25,000 to a Sakinaka rape survivor in addition to the ₹3 lakh compensation granted to her under Manodhairya scheme by the District Legal Services Authority after the compensation was delayed.

A bench presided over by justice Revati Mohite-Dere and justice Prithviraj Chauhan was hearing a matter regarding sexual assault on a 4-year-old girl by her 20-year-old neighbour. The minor victim’s mother had approached the court earlier claiming mistreatment at the hands of police.

While hearing the plea, the court was told that a compensation of ₹3 lakh was awarded to the victim and her family as contemplated by the Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 by the District Legal Services Authority on 18 September.

On Monday, the court asked public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar whether the survivor and her family had been compensated, Venegaonkar replied in the positive. The victim’s mother told the court on Monday that they still had not received any compensation awarded by the DLSA.

Venegaonkar assured the court that the amount would be paid within an hour. However, the amount was not transferred till the end of the day on Tuesday.

“The amount will be credited today, or we will make you pay every day” said the court on Wednesday, while imposing an additional cost of ₹25,000 to the District Legal Services Authority for the delay in disbursing the compensation.

“We don’t want people to come here for financial assistance or legal aid. This must be done in every case registered under the POCSO Act,” the court had said on an earlier date.