NEW DELHI: Victims of mob lynching will be able to get compensation from the city government now, with the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) approving an amendment in the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme 2018, allowing ex gratia payments to victims and their families in incidents of mob violence and lynching, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday.
Under the amended scheme, the category of ‘victim’ has been expanded to include several relations to the affected person, including the guardian or legal heir of an individual who has faced mob violence that resulted in injury or death.
According to the revised rule, compensation to the victim or the next of kin will be provided within 30 days of the incident. This clause has been inserted in rule 13 of the revised scheme.
“...in case of mob violence mob lynching, the interim relief to the victim, including the interim compensation shall be provided within 30 days from the date of offence and the limit of `50,000 for interim compensation shall not apply to the cases of such victims but the upper limits of compensation provided under the schedule to the scheme shall continue to apply,” the amendment to the rule read.
Notably, the move comes after a prolonged period, with officials mentioning that the Delhi government, despite the 2018 Supreme Court directive, took over five years to present the amended proposal. The Supreme Court’s 2018 directive mandated state governments to formulate a lynching/mob violence compensation scheme within one month, emphasising that considerations should be made regarding bodily and psychological injuries, loss of earnings, and the impact on opportunities for employment and education.
The amendments aim to address these aspects comprehensively, acknowledging expenses incurred on legal, medical, and other adversities stemming from mob lynching or violence, officials said. While the Delhi Victims Compensation Scheme, 2018 was officially notified with the then L-G’s approval, it lacked provisions for compensating victims of lynching, officials added.