Keralam High Court directs release of ₹9.73 crore for 225 victim compensation claims

The Kerala High Court has directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to release ₹9.73 crore to settle 225 victim compensation claims within five weeks.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V.M. Syam Kumar directed the Member Secretary of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) to review the status of disbursements with the respective District Legal Services Authorities on a weekly basis.

The court also directed the secretaries of the respective District Legal Services Authorities to collect all required documents from victims while their cases were pending before the court to avoid delays in processing and disbursing compensation.

In a connected matter, the court took note of the revised honorarium rates for mediators at the Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre. It directed the State government to release the honorarium payable to mediators at the revised rates.

The court reviewed a status report filed by KeLSA on the Victim Compensation Scheme in a suo motu petition concerning inadequate infrastructure at various mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution Centres across the State.

The two matters were connected as both concerned delays in the release of payments by the State government.