State deposits ₹3.6 cr in HC over pending human rights compensation

The deposit follows a January 27 order by a division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, which directed the principal secretary of the home department to deposit ₹3.6 crore within seven days, citing the state’s continued failure to act on MSHRC recommendations

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has deposited ₹3.6 crore with the Bombay High Court registry in connection with pending compensation recommended by the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) in cases of human rights violations.

Bombay High Court directed the principal secretary of Maharashtra’s home department to deposit the arrear amount for cases pertaining to human rights violation (Bhushan Koyande)

In an affidavit filed on Thursday, Umesh Narayan Chandiwade, deputy secretary in the state home department, informed the court that the amount was deposited through a cheque dated February 27, 2026.

The deposit follows a January 27 order by a division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, which directed the principal secretary of the home department to deposit ₹3.6 crore within seven days, citing the state’s continued failure to act on MSHRC recommendations.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Satyam Surana, who alleged that the rights body had not implemented several recommendations in cases of human rights violations.

Surana told the court that in March last year, he had sought information under the Right to Information Act from the MSHRC regarding the status of its recommendations since 2013 and the extent of governmental compliance.

The commission’s reply highlighted that it had issued 180 recommendations between 2013 and 2025, of which the state government had complied with only 44, about 24%. According to the petition, the remaining 136 recommendations are still pending with the state, with no action taken or reports submitted by the government.

“Being void of any justification for their non-implementation, the total amount of monetary compensation that is the subject matter of these 136 uncompiled recommendations, and still waiting to be realised by the victims of these violations, amounts to a huge sum of ₹3.39 crore,” the petition said.