Calcutta HC directs Bengal govt to frame guidelines on compensation for acid attack victims

Kolkata, Sep 14 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to immediately frame guidelines on compensation for acid attack victims in the state.

The single-judge bench of Justice Shekhar B. Saraf clearly said that the guidelines should be framed as per the directive of the Supreme Court as well as those set by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).

Justice Saraf has directed the state government to frame these guidelines within eight weeks from the date of his order on this count, while observing that West Bengal is lagging behind other states in the issue of compensation to acid attack victims as per the directive of the apex court.

According to him, this is not a good reflection on the administrative promptness of any state government. 

The bench gave these directions to the state government while delivering its judgement on a case of acid attack on a minor girl and her brother in West Midnapore district in 2015, whose order copy was uploaded in the website of Calcutta High Court on Thursday.

The court directed the state government to pay a total compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the victim.

Justice Saraf also directed the state government to pay the compensation amount to the victim within four weeks from the date of his order.

The bench also took exception to the delay in payment of compensation despite the event of the acid attack being as old as 2015.

While passing the order, Justice Saraf also observed that the delay is unfortunate in a state like West Bengal which has a rich heritage of social liberalism and more specially women’s liberty.

He reminded that it is the duty of all to restore that rich heritage of the state on this count.