Ahmedabad: After TOI reported on March 13 about 19-year-old rape survivor not getting compensation even after three month-long procedure, the state authorities handed over the cheque to the survivor’s mother on Tuesday. The 19-year old girl had died late in February due to medical complications.
The cheque of Rs 3 lakh was handed over to the survivor’s mother by MK Dave, principal city civil judge, who is also chairman of the Ahmedabad City Civil Legal Services Committee.
“The money will help me find a shelter for me and my children. The remaining amount would ensure that we can start something of our own and we will not live on footpath any more,” the mother said while accepting the cheque.
Sources said that the family was not traceable for handing over the compensation cheque. However, the authorities of Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA) managed to find the family in a day on Tuesday.
Activists however raised concern about procedure and monitoring of such cases by the state authorities. “The compensation is surely a step in the right direction. The same amount might have changed the scenario for the rape survivor, who was also having learning impairments and was incontinent - having no control over her stool or urine. Hopefully the case would serve as an example for the concerned authorities not to wait till the death of the survivor,” said an NGO official on condition of anonymity. Saira, 19, a native of Palanpur, was found by a Good Samaritan outside Civil Hospital in November 2016. She however managed to sneak out and was found again by Childline. She was then taken to Civil Hospital and later to the VS Hospital. Despite her condition, no medical check-up was conducted as brutal rape and unnatural sex came to light only in mid-January that revealed that her internal organs were damaged. A year after, Saira was back on city footpath in November 2017 with her family when TOI had written about her plight.
