HC comes to the aid of rape victim, her child

rajneesh madhok · #1 (**permalink**) 01-Dec-2010, 23:01 PM

HC comes to the aid of rape victim, her child
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 30
Raped when she was just 17 and left to fend for herself and her child, the victim has received financial solace from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Justice Surya Kant has not only directed the state of Punjab through the Chief Secretary to pay her interim relief of Rs 10 lakh, but has also directed the constitution of an expert committee to suggest suitable compensation for the victim after taking into account multiple needs. Social activist Vina Sharma and advocate Tanu Bedi have been asked to lend their valuable time for the social and pious cause.
The state has been granted the liberty to recover at least 50 per cent of the interim compensation from the accused boy and his father.
Justice Surya Kant asserted the plight of the petitioner, burdened with the responsibility of motherhood at a tender age, could only be imagined and not expressed. The records indicated she belonged to the poor section of society.
Even as state counsel Anupinder Singh Grewal argued the boy and his father were men of means, Justice Surya Kant observed both society and the state were under a legal, social and moral burden to extend a helping hand to the victim and ensure she was in a position to lead a dignified life, notwithstanding the social scar.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/legal-and-advisory/33420-hc-comes-aid-rape-victim-her.html
Issuing the orders in open court, Justice Surya Kant asserted to minimise her miseries, it was the court’s duty to ensure she was provided suitable monetary assistance at least to liberate her from financial dependence on her father and family.
Going into the background of the matter, Justice Surya Kant observed the victim was born in March 1986 and was below 17 when she was left pregnant.
The accused in the case, Kulwinder Singh, was convicted and sentenced to seven years by the Ludhiana Additional District and Sessions Judge on February 25, 2004, under Section 376 of the IPC.
Justice Surya Kant observed the petition seeking compensation was pending since 2007, and the boy, after the completion of the actual sentence, had been released from jail.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33420
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/201....htm#3Rajneesh Madhok