4 days ago
‘793 victims of crimes deprived of compensations owing to lack of funding by State government'
Nearly 800 victims of crimes, including minor girls and female victims of sexual offences, have been waiting for compensation for the past two years as the State government has failed to release adequate funds to the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), which has the statutory power to disburse the compensation to eligible victims.
As per data of the KSLSA, a total of around ₹30 crore is required to pay 793 victims of crime, who were found eligible to receive compensation as per provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
How much is required
Of these 793 persons, 209 were found eligible for compensation during 2023-24 and 584 during 2024-25. As per the data, a total of around ₹8 crore is required to pay for 209 victims and ₹22 crore is needed to pay 584 persons, based on the assessment of compensation to which the victims or their family members are entitled to.
As per the data, around 400 persons are likely to be added to the list of eligible victims for compensation in 2025-26, as there are about 890 cases before district legal services authorities that attract compensation when the cases are disposed of. The total amount required is around ₹40 to 45 crore, including around ₹30 crore required to clear those waiting for compensation since 2023.
Duty of govt.
The provisions of the CrPC and the BNSS vest a statutory duty on the State governments to release sufficient funds under the victims' compensation scheme (VCS), and the High Court of Karnataka, in a PIL petition filed in 2017 by People's Movement Against Sexual Assault, had given directions to the government to release funds to the KSLSA under VCS.
