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Pay compensation to rape victims within 40 days: HC to Sitapur, Bahraich DMs
A division bench comprising Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai passed the orders on August 18 while allowing two petitions filed separately by rape victims from Sitapur and Bahraich. The petitions sought directions to pay compensation under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Samman Kosh Rules, 2015, and fix accountability of officials responsible for non-compliance with the rules.
Taking a tough view of the delay in payment of compensation to rape victims, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has directed the district magistrates of Sitapur and Bahraich to consider the cases of the victims for grant of compensation within one month. If found entitled, the compensation shall be paid within 10 days thereafter, the court directed.
A division bench comprising Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai passed the orders on August 18 while allowing two petitions filed separately by rape victims from Sitapur and Bahraich. The petitions sought directions to pay compensation under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Samman Kosh Rules, 2015, and fix accountability of officials responsible for non-compliance with the rules.
“One is unable to understand the apathy of the police officers/statutory authorities, who are required to make this payment under the beneficial scheme provided by the State Government,” the court observed.
“The entire purpose of providing compensation to the victims of such a gruesome crime is that the pain of the victim can be soothed urgently and the financial exigency relating to medical treatment may be addressed immediately,” it said.
The court further observed that such victims “not only go through physical pain and anguish but also suffer severe mental trauma”. It said delaying payments under the beneficial legislation further added to their agony and exacerbated their pain and suffering.
“The fact that the victim has to further incur costs to file a writ petition for obtaining the compensation that she is entitled to under the law augments the very ordeal that the victim has suffered,” the court said.
“In light of the above observations, we are of the view that the officials, who are responsible for the egregious procrastination, should be held responsible and accountability should be fastened on them,” it directed.
In the Sitapur case, the incident took place on December 26, 2024, and the FIR was lodged the same day. The charge sheet was filed on February 10, 2025. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that under the 2015 rules, a victim falling under serial no. 6 was entitled to compensation in two instalments, with ₹1 lakh payable within 15 days of filing of the charge sheet and the remaining amount within one month.
The court noted that the entire admissible amount should therefore have been paid within a month of February 10, 2025. “It is indeed astounding to find that the victim has been forced to file this writ petition on 25.07.2026 for non-payment of any of the said instalments,” it said, adding that the respondents had admitted that not a single penny had been paid.
In the Bahraich case, the incident took place on April 17, 2024, and the FIR was lodged the same day. The charge sheet was filed on August 30, 2024. Under serial no. 5 of the rules, the victim was entitled to ₹7 lakh in two instalments — ₹1 lakh within 15 days of registration of the FIR and ₹6 lakh within one month of filing of the charge sheet.
The court said the entire ₹7 lakh should have been paid by September 30, 2024, but the victim had to approach the court on July 25, 2026, for non-payment of the compensation.
