New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL seeking enhanced compensation to three victims of the 2011 blast in its premises after the city government said Rs 3 lakhs each had already been paid to them.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw, while rejecting the plea filed by All India Anti-Terrorist Front, said that as the ex-gratia compensation of Rs 3 lakh each had already been paid to the three victims by the District Magistrate, the PIL is "not maintainable".
Seventeen people were killed and over 76 were injured on September 7, 2011 blast outside one of the gates of the Delhi High Court premises.
An affidavit filed by Delhi government said that on November 12 "Rs nine lakh were sanctioned for payment towards ex-gratia to the victims of bomb blast at High Court of Delhi on behalf of Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA)".
The PIL, filed through advocate Gaurav Bansal, had said that despite the high court order Aftab Ahmed and Raashid Ali, both permanently disabled victims, have not received the compensation.
Besides Aftab and Raashid, the relatives of another victim Nizamuddin, who lost his life in the terror attack, have also not received the compensation, the plea had said.
The court had, in September 2011, asked the Centre and Delhi government to pay an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those killed and Rs 3 lakh to those who suffered grievous injuries while directing them to show "impeccable sensitivity".
The petiton had stated that the two victims are living in very poor condition and unable to manage even two meals a day.
