Nirbhaya Fund only lip service if it remains unused: Supreme Court | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Nirbhaya Fund only lip service if it remains unused: Supreme Court

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
May 27, 2016 01:32 AM IST

As Rs 2000 crore Nirbhaya Fund remains unutilised, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to formulate a national policy for proper rehabilitation of rape survivors, saying the fund amounted to “just a lip service”.

As Rs 2000 crore Nirbhaya Fund remains unutilised, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to formulate a national policy for proper rehabilitation of rape survivors, saying the fund amounted to “just a lip service”.

The Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions filed during 2012-13 after the December 16 gangrape in Delhi in 2012 demanding measure for safety and security of women.
The Supreme Court was hearing a batch of petitions filed during 2012-13 after the December 16 gangrape in Delhi in 2012 demanding measure for safety and security of women.

Announced by the UPA government in its 2013 Union Budget, Nirbhaya Fund was started with a corpus of Rs 1,000 crore to support initiatives towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in India. Since then the fund has become fatter but mostly remained unutilized.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Issuing notices to the Centre, states and union territories, a vacation bench headed by justice PC Pant asked them to spell out within six weeks the steps taken for effective implementation of a provision of the Criminal Procedure Code on victim compensation, other such schemes and the number of women compensated.

“Different states have different schemes. There is no national plan as to how rape victims are to be compensated. Setting up of the Nirbhaya Fund is not enough and it is just paying a lip service. The Union of India must ensure that adequate relief is being provided to the victims of sexual offences,” it said.

The SC was hearing a batch of petitions filed during 2012-13 after the December 16 gangrape in Delhi in 2012 demanding measure for safety and security of women.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, who was assisting the bench as a friend of the court (amicus curiae), said the implementation of the “Victim Compensation Scheme” was a matter of concern as only 25, out of 29 states, had notified the scheme.

“The states were supposed to set up one-stop crisis centres in each district. As many as 653 such crisis centres were supposed to be in place across the country, but they have not provided information whether they had done so,” Jaisingh said.

“There is complete lack of uniformity in the said schemes and the States have not yet indicated whether appropriate funds have been allocated in pursuance to the notification of the said schemes, as well as the number of rape victims that have been compensated under the said schemes,” she said. Some states pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation while few others pay as less as Rs 50,000 to such survivors, she added.

Pointing out that there were some states which provided compensation to victims of sexual offences just on registration of FIRs, the bench said there has to be some national model on this.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on Election 2024, India News, Lok Sabha Election 2024 LIVE along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Bhadra is a legal correspondent and reports Supreme Court proceedings, besides writing on legal issues. A law graduate, Bhadra has extensively covered trial of high-profile criminal cases. She has had a short stint as a crime reporter too.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On