Bombay High Court directs Maharashtra government to pay ₹2 lakh more to acid attack victims

The Bombay High Court recently directed the Maharashtra government to pay an additional interim compensation of ₹2 lakh each to three acid attack victims as part of the Maharashtra Victim Compensation Scheme..The victims were undergoing surgical treatment, the expenses incurred for which were more than the amount of ₹3 lakh initially granted. They also had to undergo follow up treatment post the surgical treatment and would have to bear the financial burden apart from surgical expenses, the Court noted..The Bench of Justices PB Varale and Madhav Jamdar expressed hope that there would be a positive response from the Maharashtra government to this end.“As the issue relates to providing financial assistance too firstly, a weaker section in general i.e. women and secondly, the victims of acid attack in particular, we expect a positive response from the State Government. We also hope and trust that in such cases a progressive State as claimed the State of Maharashtra may not put the riders of financial burden in providing necessary financial assistance to such acid attack victim,” the order stated..The petitioners highlighted a judgment of the High Court in which a co-ordinate bench had directed the State to pay an amount of ₹10 lakh as compensation to acid attack victims..State Counsel Ashutosh Kulkarni showed Clause 4 of the notification in the Maharashtra Victim Compensation (Amendment) Scheme in which the amount of compensation to acid attack victims was fixed between ₹3-5 lakh. However, the petitioners claimed that this amount was also inadequate to meet the necessary treatment costs..In view of the same, the Bench directed Maharashtra government to pay an additional interim compensation to the tune of ₹2 lakh to each of the petitioners within two weeks.The matter is now posted for hearing on December 4, 2021..[Read order]