CHENNAI: Terming the compensation amount of Rs.10 lakh each to the families of the victims of the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy as ‘huge’, the Madras High Court on Friday questioned the rationale behind providing such compensation.
The first bench of Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq raised the questions when a public interest litigation petition, filed by Mohamed Ghouse of Chennai praying for the court to strike down the state government’s order for providing the compensation, came up for hearing.
“How can you given huge amount of Rs. 10 lakh compensation to each of the families of the hooch tragedy victims?” the bench asked.
It felt compensation can be provided to the families of victims of road accidents, but giving such huge amount to victims of spurious liquor cannot be justified.
Asking the government to work out a mechanism, other than paying compensation, for rehabilitating the victims’ families, the bench asked the government counsel to get instructions from the government on reconsidering distribution of such huge amount of compensation within two weeks.
The petitioner stated that the solatium should be given only to victims of accidents and not to the families of those who have committed an ‘illegal act’ of consuming illicit liquor for ‘attaining self-pleasure’.
The state government’s order to pay compensation to victim’s families is ‘unreasonable’ and ‘arbitrary,’ he said, adding that those who died after consuming illicit should not be treated as victims.
He wondered to know the basis, on which, lesser solatium is given to victims of fire accidents or any other accident victims.
“The consumers of illicit liquor are not freedom fighters or social activists who have laid down their lives for the cause of the general public or the society,” Ghouse said in the petition.
He prayed for the court to strike down the state government order for distributing the compensation to all hooch tragedy victims.
