‘Frame uniform scheme to compensate rape victims’
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all state governments and union territory administrations to formulate a “uniform scheme” for compensation to victims of rape and sexual exploitation on the lines of one framed by Goa.
“All the states and union territories shall make all endeavour to formulate a uniform scheme for providing victim compensation in respect of rape/sexual exploitation with the physically handicapped women as required under the law …” said a bench comprising Justice M.Y.Eqbal and Justice Arun Mishra in their judgmenty.
The court said that uniform scheme of victim compensation should take into consideration “the scheme framed by the state of Goa for rape victim compensation”, as it noted different states and union territories had a lot of variation – Goa paying Rs.10 lakh compensation, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh a “paltry amount” of Rs.50,000 and Maharashtra none.The direction came as the court dismissed a plea by Taken alias Takram of Chhattisgarh who had challenged his seven year rigorous imprisonment after being convicted for sexually exploiting a blind girl on the false promise of marrying her.
Directing the Chhattisgarh government to provide the blind victim of sexual exploitation a sum of Rs.8,000 every month in her lifetime, Justice Eqbal, speaking for the bench, said: “It would not be possible for the victim to approach the National Commission for Women … for relief and rehabilitation… the victim, who has already suffered a lot since the day of the crime till now, needs a special rehabilitation scheme.”
Chhattisgarh government “shall pay a sum of Rs.8,000 per month as victim compensation to the victim who is physically handicapped, i.e. blind, till her life time”, the court said in its direction.
