Kolkata (The Hawk): The Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava on Monday expressed his displeasure with the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) over the delay in paying compensation to the family members of a young girl who was raped and killed at Hanskhali in Nadia district in April of this year.
During a PIL hearing in this case, Srivastava noted that the victim's family has yet to get even the minimum compensation despite unambiguous court orders on this count.
He also criticised the SLSA for repeatedly requesting that the hearing dates be changed.
"In such circumstances, we anticipate the SLSA to be more sensitive. There is an attempt to sidestep the issue by using some hazy justifications. Because of this, the common people are suffering. Why does the SLSA show up in court without any instructions relevant to these counts? Such a careless approach will stop the process from moving forward. Why is the process being delayed when a clear plan for victim compensation exists? The SLSA cannot continue to prolong this case indefinitely and must inform the court by Tuesday of both its future plans and past actions "Srivastava made a note.
Recall that on May 5 of this year, Anindya Sundar Das filed a plea demanding an interim settlement of Rs 1 crore for the family of the victim after the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI investigation into the alleged gang-rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Hanskhali.
On April 4, the young girl allegedly experienced a group rape. Her relatives attempted to take her to a hospital because of significant bleeding, but the father of the primary accused, who is currently in CBI prison, allegedly used strong arm tactics to stop them.
The high court had ordered the CBI to investigate the case on April 12. The investigative agency has since made a number of arrests. A Trinamool Congress leader who is the father of the primary accused is one among those detained. The alleged participants in the crime, including his goons and his son's buddies, have also been detained.
(Inputs from Agencies)