DLSA awards interim relief of Rs3.8L each to victims’ kin

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, March 18

The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), UT, today granted compensation in seven cases under the UT of Chandigarh Victim Assistance Scheme. Of the seven cases, final compensation was granted in four cases and interim relief in three.

The DLSA granted interim compensation in three cases wherein three girl students had died in a fire at a PG accommodation in Sector 32.

The DLSA granted an interim compensation of Rs 3.80 lakh each to the family members of Muskan (21), who was from Hisar and was a first-year MCom student at GGDSD College, Sector 32; Pakshi (19), a BA-1 student from GGDSD who belonged to Kotkapura in Faridkot, Punjab; and Riya (20), who belonged to Kapurthala, Punjab.

Ashok Kumar Mann, CJM-cum-Secretary, DLSA, said on hearing about the incident and reading reports in this regard in newspapers, he decided to suo motu initiate the process of approaching the families. The DLSA office contacted the SHO concerned and sought a copy of the FIR. After going through the contents of the FIR, the investigating officer was summoned and his statement recorded. After that the family members were contacted and were asked to approach the authority. Subsequently, the families were provided a legal aid counsel. The counsel had moved an application for grant of interim compensation under provisions of Regulation 12 read with Regulation 8(i) and 5 of the victim assistance scheme.

After convincing himself, Ashok Kumar Mann, CJM-cum-Secretary, DLSA, awarded an amount of Rs 3.80 lakh each as interim maintenance to the family members of the three girls.

In another case, an amount of Rs 5 lakh was awarded as compensation to the next of kin in a case of death due to negligence in Mani Majra on May 25, 2015. In the case, the offender remained untraced.

A compensation of Rs 10 lakh was awarded to kin of the victim in a murder case registered at the Sector 26 police station on September 29, 2017. The present case for claim of compensation had been received from the applicant with an order of Rajesh Sharma, Additional Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, to the present authority.

An amount of Rs 5 lakh was awarded as compensation to the next of kin in a case of death due to negligence in which the offender was untraced. The case was registered on April 8, 2014, at the Sector 31 police station.

An amount of Rs 7.5 lakh for death of a minor was awarded as compensation to the next of kin in a case of death due to negligence in which the offender was untraced. The case was registered under Sections 279, 337 and 304A of the IPC at the Sector 31 police station on June 2, 2019.