Shouldn't You Hike Compensation For Rape Survivors, Court Asks Maharashtra

The Bombay High Court today asked the Maharashtra government if it has any scheme or policy in place for welfare of the children born to rape survivors.

A bench of justices R V More and Anuja Prabhudessai also asked the government if it proposes to increase the monetary compensation under the Manodhairya scheme for survivors of rape and other crimes against women.

"We would like to know if the government has any policy or scheme for those children who are born to the women who have been the victims," the court said.

Under the Manodhairya Yojana launched in October 2013, the Maharashtra government gives compensation of Rs. three lakhs to rape survivors and other crimes against women.

Apart from the monetary compensation, the government also provides counselling to the survivors, besides the vocational or educational training, if required.

The court posed the query while hearing a petition filed by one Jaeel Shaikh seeking implementation of the scheme from retrospective effect and for awarding the compensation also to those who fell prey to various crimes against women before 2013.

The bench also asked the principal secretary of the state's Women and Child Welfare Department to appear before it on April 20 and tell it if the monetary compensation should be increased up to Rs. 10 lakh as prevailing in other states like Goa and if it can be done with a retrospective effect.

Earlier, another bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur had termed the Manodhairya scheme as "insulting, inhuman and shameful".

Chief Justice Chellur too has asked the government to consider increasing the monetary compensations to rape survivors and other crimes against women.