SC irked for disclosing rape victims' names, orders Rs 10L compensation

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today directed the Madhya Pradesh Government to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation each to the two school-going girls gangraped last year in Betma town of Indore district and issued show cause notice to a senior police officer as to why criminal case be not lodged against him for disclosing the names of victims in his affidavit.

The apex court expressed anguish that the affidavit filed on behalf of the state government by Additional SP, Indore, Arvind Tiwary, disclosed the victims' names which is an offence under section 228A of the Indian Penal Code.

"Let a notice be issued to him. A show cause notice that why under section 228A of the IPC a case be not registered against him for disclosing the identities of the two rape victims in the affidavit.

"Explanation should be given by him in response to show cause notice within four weeks on receipt of the notice," a bench comprising justices R M Lodha and Madan B Lokur said while posting the matter for further consideration after six weeks.

The bench said the Madhya Pradesh High Court order of fixing the amount Rs two lakh each as compensation was "very deficient" and "inadequate" for the school-going children belonging to poor families who were gangraped by 16 persons in an open field in Betma town in February 2012.

"We direct the Madhya Pradesh Government through its Principal Secretary (Home) to make payment of balance amount of Rs eight lakh to each of the two victims within one month from today," the bench said while asking the Centre "to take lead in evolving social security and welfare measures" for victims of such crime for whom "trauma continues through out the life".

"Such victims cannot be compensated by any amount. As a matter of fact, no amount of money can restore the dignity and confidence of rape victims. However, certain measures like adequate compensation, insurance, employment and social security scheme may help in the rehabilitation of rape victims to some extent," the bench said.

The bench said as a federal government, the Centre must take a lead on the issue as it is not one state where such crime was happening but it is happening across the country and "no single day goes when we don't hear about incident of rape in the country".