HC tells govt to pay₹3L to minor rape survivor

The Rajasthan High Court has directed the state government to pay ₹3 lakh as compensation to a minor rape victim.

“The state is directed to provide compensation to the victim through her mother under the Rajasthan Victim Compensation Scheme, 2011, to the tune of ₹3 lakh immediately.

The state shall also make arrangements for proper medical examination of the victim from time to time at Umaid Hospital, Jodhpur, till the delivery of the child. After the delivery, medical facilities to the victim and her newly born child will also be provided for next two months,” the court ordered on Thursday.

The high court had earlier refused the plea of the victim to abort her 26-week-old foetus after a medical report was submitted on July 18.

According to the report, the victim is 26 weeks’ pregnant and there is a danger to her life if the pregnancy is terminated immediately as she is highly anemia. After considering the opinion of the medical board, the high court had on July 19 declined to allow the victim to terminate her pregnancy.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act allows a woman to abort her foetus only up to 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The victim had also sought a compensation.

During the hearing, state additional advocate general Shiv Kumar Vyas told the court that the state government has already floated the Rajasthan Victim Compensation Scheme, 2011, and according to it a rape victim, who is a minor, is entitled to get maximum compensation up to ₹ 3 lakh, which was granted by the court.

The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea seeking its nod for terminating the 32-week-old pregnancy of a 10-year-old rape survivor after taking note of a medical report that abortion was neither good for the girl nor for the foetus.

A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the report of the medical board set up by PGI (Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) Chandigarh to examine the rape survivor and the consequences if the termination of pregnancy was allowed.

The bench expressed satisfaction over the medical care being provided to the rape survivor at present and dismissed the plea seeking abortion.

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