KOCHI: A lawyer at the Kerala High Court on Monday filed a petition before the court seeking a directive to the state government to release the funds earmarked to give compensation to the victims of crime to the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA).
The petition was filed by Advocate D Anil Kumar.
The Code of Criminal Procedure has been amended and a new section 357A has been introduced for establishment of Victim’s Compensation Fund by the State Government in co-ordination with the Central Government.
Further an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure Code has introduced a new section 357C to provide first-aid or medical treatment, free of cost, to the victims in rape cases.
The petitioner submitted that though the scheme for compensation to victims of crime was formulated by the state and notified in the Gazette as early as February 24 even after a lapse of eight months, no amount has been made available with the Legal Services Authority for disbursement to the victims of crime.
Though claims have been received by the Legal Services Authority it was not in a position to process the same, for lack of funds.
Though the legislation has been enacted providing a right to the victims of crime to demand compensation, the enforcement of the same was made a nullity due to the inaction of the state government.
The petitioner also sought a directive to provide the first-aid or medical treatment free of cost to the rape victims and a directive to make victims of the crime aware of the Victims Compensation Scheme and make them operational and meaningful.