KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Registry of the court to file a report explaining the present status regarding the disbursement of the compensation amount as ordered by the Supreme Court to the legal heirs of the victims in the Enrica Lexie case.
The case relates to two Indian fishermen on board a boat St Antony killed off the coast of Kerala on February 15, 2012, in a firing incident from the Italian commercial oil tanker Enrica Lexie.
The HC said the report also should contain the details of the steps taken to comply with the orders of the High Court issued on November 22, 2021. The court issued the order on the application filed by Abhinaya Xavier and Aguna Xavier, who are the sisters of deceased Ajeesh Pink.
The Supreme Court had directed to disburse Rs 4 crore to the dependents of each deceased and Rs 2 crore to the owner of the boat - St. Antony. It also directed the Chief Justice to appoint a single judge to issue disbursement orders. Then the Single Judge ordered to disburse Rs 4 crores each to the legal heirs of the two fishermen. But, the single judge did not pass any order on the amount of Rs 2 crores to be disbursed to the owner of St.Antony as the Supreme court restrained from issuing any order in this regard.
The single judge had held that Abhinaya Xavier and Aguna Xavier will be jointly entitled to a sum of Rs.4 crores, two crores each to be paid to Aguna Xavier and Abhinaya Xavier. They shall be paid Rs 25 Lakh each on producing the certificate evidencing their age, identity address and other requisite documents. The remaining amount of Rs 1.75 crore each with accrued interest shall be deposited in two fixed deposits. The fixed deposit receipts shall be kept by the Registry in safe custody for such period.
M Ajay, counsel for the applicants submitted that more than eight months have elapsed since the Single Judge directed the Registrar General and the Registry of the high court to make fixed deposits of Rs. 1.75 crore and accrued interest in each of their names in the bank offering best interest rates and the monthly interest on the deposits to be transferred to our savings bank accounts. Not a single communication has been issued to us by the Registry so far, he added.