Kerala HC directs state to disburse Rs 9.73 crore victim compensation within five weeks

The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to release Rs 9.73 crore to settle 225 pending victim compensation claims within five weeks, reinforcing institutional mechanisms to ensure timely financial relief for victims.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice V.M. Syam Kumar issued the direction to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), noting that compensation claims for 225 cases arising up to July 2026 had been awaiting clearance since September 16. To prevent administrative bottlenecks in future, the court instructed the Member Secretary of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) to conduct weekly reviews with District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) and file a status report on December 2.

To eliminate procedural delays, DLSA secretaries have been instructed to collect all required documentation directly from victims during the adjudication phase itself.

Summary of recent Kerala High Court rulings

Alongside the compensation directive, the bench addressed financial support for mediation services. The court ordered the immediate release of mediator honorariums at revised rates announced on September 30, while asking the government to reconsider overall fee structures based on recommendations submitted by the Board of Governors in 2022. The Member Secretary of KeLSA was instructed to submit a detailed breakdown of differential payments to the Finance Department.

In a separate matter concerning coastal infrastructure development, the same Division Bench ordered a temporary halt to ongoing construction at Pulinkudy beach on the southern side of the Vizhinjam seaport in Thiruvananthapuram. The court noted that Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) and Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Ltd (AVPPL) had not demonstrated environmental clearance from the Union Environment Ministry for work at that specific site.

Referring to a counter-affidavit by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority stating the beach work was absent from VISL's approved master plan, the court ordered a joint inspection led by the Environment Ministry alongside the petitioner and respondents, with a full report due by November 25.

In another key ruling on fundamental rights, a bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and S Muralee Krishna held that failing to provide preventive detention documents in a language understood by the accused violates Article 22(5) of the Constitution. The ruling came while quashing a detention order under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) against Ibrahim Kalandhar, a Kannada speaker who had not received translated copies of his detention papers, preventing him from making an effective legal representation.