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Delhi HC issues directions on expeditious release of compensation to POCSO victims
Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has issued a slew of directions to mitigate delays in releasing compensation to the child victims of sexual offences.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued a slew of directions to mitigate delays in releasing compensation to the child victims of sexual offences.
A Bench headed by Justice Prathiba M. Singh noted that in several cases, even survivors with special abilities are not provided with compensation, and in fact, the concerned DLSA (District Legal Service Authority) is not even aware of the convictions.
The Bench, also comprising Justice Amit Sharma, said that there is a delay in releasing of compensation to the survivors, especially in those cases where convictions have already taken place 3 to 4 years ago.
It took note of the submission that the orders passed by POCSO courts are not immediately communicated to the DSLSA (Delhi State Legal Services Authority).
In its detailed order, the Delhi High Court directed the Secretary, DSLSA to hold a meeting with all the DLSAs and the concerned Presiding Judges, POCSO Courts in each district to set up a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent delays in release of compensation to victims.
"Let a dedicated e-mail ID be created for each of the districts of Delhi Legal Service Authorities so that the POCSO Courts can communicate the orders of conviction or grant of interim and final compensation to the survivors within 24 hours after the order is pronounced," it said.
Further, it directed preparation of a flow chart to explain the manner in which the communication from the POCSO courts to the concerned DLSAs will take place and how the concerned DLSAs after release of the compensation would report back to the POCSO courts upon compliance.
The high court posted the matter for further hearing on December 9, when a report will be filed by the DSLSA.
In an earlier order, the Delhi HC had observed that there existed "a clear disconnect between the POCSO Courts and the concerned Delhi State Legal Service Authorities" with regard to the manner in which victim compensation is being disbursed to survivors.
