Fund for crime victims at last

An amendment by the Government of India, which makes it mandatory for state governments to compensate women victims of crime might finally see the light of day.

An amendment by the Government of India, which makes it mandatory for state governments to compensate women victims of crime might finally see the light of day.

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The amendment in Section 357A of the Criminal Procedure Code in 2008 calls for setting up a special compensation fund for victims facing harassment including molestation and rape.

Under the policy, victims will get immediate compensation irrespective of where the case is in the court. The respective state government will decide the compensation amount.

“We will soon meet and are hoping to set up the scheme,” said minister of state for home Satej Patil while speaking in the legislative council. He was answering a question raised by Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Dhananjay Munde over the sexual atrocities case at Veergaon at Ahmednagar in July 2011, where two married women were assaulted by a group of dacoits in their house.

Munde said the victims were yet to receive the compensation given by the government. “The cheque they received as immediate relief from the government under the chief ministers’ relief fund, four days after the incident, has not yet been realised,” he said. Patil promised that the money would be released immediately.