New Delhi: The Delhi High Court was on Wednesday
told that the central government would soon come out with a
scheme for rehabilitation and compensation for rape victims.
Appearing for Delhi government, Standing Counsel
(criminal) Pawan Sharma informed the bench headed by Chief
Justice Dipak Misra that the Centre was considering framing of
a scheme for grant of compensation to rape victims and it
would notify the same soon after the scheme came into force.
Sharma`s remarks came on a PIL filed by Delhi Commission
for Woman for issuance of guidelines to treat the rape victims
and their rehabilitation.
The bench granted more time to the government and fixed
April 27 as the next date for hearing of the matter.
The counsel made the submission following the Union
Minister for Women and Child Development`s statement recently
that the scheme for rehabilitation of the rape socially and
financially was in the final stage.
The court was hearing a petition filed by the DCW seeking
guidelines for the rape victims and their rehabilitation.
The commission, in its petition, cited a case where a
trial court had acquitted a man accused of raping his
four-year-old daughter after the victim`s mother and elder
sister resiled from their statements few years back.
While acquitting the man, the trial court had said the
acquittal in this case was painful as a blossoming child is
alleged to have been ravished by her own father but
unfortunately both her mother and sister turned hostile and
did not support the prosecution.
The wife of the accused had lodged a complaint on the
date of the incident while her elder daughter supported the
complaint but both of them retracted from earlier statements
against the accused before the court.
PTI
