The court concluded that no additional instructions were necessary in the tragic case involving the rape and murder of a three-year-old child.
The Advocate General, Prafull N Bharat, who represented the state govt, informed the court about the allocation of funds on April 23, 2024, for compensation. The state directed the competent authority to ‘expedite the disbursement process’, the Advocate General informed the court.
Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Rajani Dubey jointly declared that no additional guidance was deemed necessary, and the case was officially filed. The unfortunate event highlighted the pressing requirement for efficient procedures to guarantee prompt compensation for ‘victims and their families’ in such sorrowful situations.
In a deeply distressing occurrence, a young child, approximately 3 years old, fell victim to ‘sexual assault’ and later met a tragic fate at the hands of a ‘juvenile in conflict with the law’. The dreadful event took place in the Sirgitti police station vicinity in Bilaspur, triggering ‘outrage and protests’ within the local community.
In the aftermath of the event, the state publicized a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the family of the victim, including an initial payment of Rs 2.50 lakh. Regrettably, despite promises made by officials, the sorrowful parents found themselves without any support, compelled to borrow money for their child’s cremation and eventually ‘escaping their hometown’ out of dread of the accused’s family, reads a suo moto PIL submitted in the court.
Following judicial intervention, it came to light that the compensation sum had been approved by the District Legal Services Authority but faced delays owing to ‘procedural formalities’. Ultimately, on April three, 2024, a segment of the compensation sum was ‘disbursed to the victim’s mother’.
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However, the case brought attention to the predicament of numerous other ‘victims entitled to compensation’ under a government scheme, who had not yet obtained any monetary aid. It was revealed that in 753 instances, a sum of Rs 26,41,00,200 remained pending for disbursement due to the ‘lack of fund allotment’.
In reply, the Advocate General provided assurance that the state had ‘allocated the necessary funds’ on April 23, 2024, and instructed the competent authority to ‘expedite the disbursement process’.
