Assam: Submit Plan for Compensation Payment, Gauhati High Court to Dispur

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The state government recently apprised the Gauhati High Court that out of the amount of Rs. 44 crore due under the Victims Compensation Scheme as of February 2024, it has released Rs. 34 crore and prayed for some time to provide information about the release of the remaining amount. Moreover, the additional senior government advocate was also directed to clarify regarding the plan of the government to tackle the remaining claim, in the face of a lack of assurance on the part of the state regarding the release of the remaining amount of Rs 10 crore.

The direction was given by the division bench of Chief Justice Vijay Bishnoi and Justice N. Unni Krishnan Nair while conducting a hearing on PIL/7/2024 filed by Sandeep Chamaria. D.K. Sarmah, the counsel appearing on behalf of the respondent Home and Political Department, Government of Assam, and A. Chaliha, counsel appearing for the Finance Department, Assam, submitted that out of Rs. 44 crore, which was due to the petitioner under the Victims Compensation Scheme, 2012, up to February 2024, an amount of Rs. 25 crore has already been released. R. Choudhury, counsel appearing for the respondent Assam State Legal Services Authority, has submitted that the said amount of Rs. 25 crore has already been transferred to the account of the authority, and the same will now be disbursed to the respective BLOs proportionately for further disbursement to the victims.

Advocate Chamaria, who is the petitioner-in-person, pointed out that although the government has released Rs. 34 crore out of the amount of Rs. 44 crore due as of February 2024, there is no assurance on the part of the government regarding the release of the remaining amount of Rs. 10 crore. D.K. Sarmah and A. Chaliha, the counsel appearing for the respondents named above, prayed for some time to apprise the Court about the release of the remaining amount of Rs. 10 crore due under the Victim Compensation Scheme. The court granted the time prayed for and asked the matter to be listed again on March 17, 2025.

Meanwhile, the court also directed the additional senior government advocate to clarify regarding the plan of the government to tackle the claim, which may arise within this financial year ending on March 31, 2025.

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