GUWAHATI: The Gauhati high court has ordered the chief secretary of Assam to submit an affidavit explaining the delay in disbursing funds under the Assam Victim Compensation Scheme 2012.
The Gauhati high court also asked for the details on the steps Assam government plans to take to expedite the release of these funds.
This directive emerged during a hearing on Monday (June 10) of a public interest litigation (PIL) about the non-payment of compensation to victims under the scheme.
The court had previously instructed the Assam government on April 05, to present a concrete plan for the release of the necessary funds.
The Gauhati high court expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs, emphasizing the Assam government’s primary responsibility to ensure funds are available for victim compensation.
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“It is a very sorry state of affairs that the compensation is not being disbursed to the victims for lack of funds,” the Gauhati high court stated while slamming the Assam government.
On May 20, the Assam finance department’s counsel reported that a joint meeting between the finance and law departments had taken place.
During this meeting, it was agreed that the law department would submit a proposal for the necessary funds, which the finance department would then consider and act upon.
Despite these discussions, the Assam State Legal Services Authority (ASLSA) informed the court that only Rs 9 crore had been provided against a demand of around Rs 44 crore under the 2012 Scheme.
Highlighting a lack of coordination between the home and finance departments in Assam, the Gauhati high court ordered the state’s chief secretary to file an affidavit by July 16, detailing the reasons for the funding delays and outlining the proposed steps to release the funds promptly.