The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, on Monday, ordered `1.5 lakh compensation for the death of a 28-year-old tribal woman, under the provisions of SC/ST Act.
According to V Vellaikannu (60), his daughter was sexually assaulted by Lingam and Sebastian, who belong to a dominant caste. Vellaikannu, who belongs to the Paliyar community, along with his wife and daughter was living in a cave at Tholukadu, a forest range in Dindigul district. In 2010, his family along with several tribal families migrated to Sirumalaiputhur, 5 km from the forest.
On August 4, 2011, when Vellaikannu and his wife went to the forest to collect honey, Lingam and Sebastian abducted his daughter and sexually assaulted her, he told the court. “Later in the evening, the duo came and told us that our daughter had consumed poison and was lying unconscious amidst the deep forests. But our daughter was dead”, he added.
Vellaikannu approached the Inspector of Ambathurai Police Station, who registered the complaint under the section 174 (unnatural death) of CrPC. Claiming that the police refused to register the complaint under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, he moved the court through his advocates. However, the police in a counter affidavit said Vellaikannu’s daughter had an illicit relation with Lingam and she demanded he marry her immediately, which ended in her suicide. Justice D Hariparanthaman, who heard the case, said the family is entitled to a compensation of ` 2 lakh under rule 12 of SC and ST Act, 1955. As the investigation is in progress, he directed the government to pay `1.5 lakh (75 percent) as relief within two weeks.