Issues related to victim compensation: Kerala HC summons state home secretary

Kochi: Expressing concern over the unsatisfactory progress in the disbursement of compensation to victims, including sexual assault survivors, and the payment of mediation fees, the Kerala high court on Thursday directed the state home secretary to personally appear before it on Monday.A bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V M Syam Kumar, while considering a suo motu petition initiated by the court in the matter, expressed its displeasure over the absence of the home secretary. HC noted that the Chief Justice, while attending an official meeting, had specifically asked a govt official to convey his direction to the home secretary to be present in court, but the latter failed to appear. The court further noted that around Rs 10 lakh is due towards mediation-related payments and orally questioned what had happened to the Rs 47 crore meant for victim compensation.Despite the state govt seeking additional time to file an affidavit, HC orally warned that if the dues are not paid by Monday, it would initiate contempt proceedings against the concerned officials. "Not a single penny has been paid. What is the point of these deliberations if the amounts are not being disbursed," HC asked. Additionally, it directed the home secretary to be present on Monday and file an affidavit explaining the delay in complying with the court's earlier directions.During a previous hearing in Jan 2026, the state govt had assured HC that the issues pending with it regarding the release of the mediator's fees and victim compensation would be addressed on an urgent basis. While initiating the suo motu proceedings in the matter, the court had noted that the primary issues affecting mediation centres in the state include the lack of a permanent venue for conducting mediation, inability to ensure privacy for parties to enable open communication, lack of adequate physical and digital infrastructure, inability to conduct online mediation due to the absence of internet connectivity or video-link facilities, and a shortage of adequate permanent staff.