Kerala High Court orders release of ₹9.73 crore for 225 victims’ compensation claims

Kerala High Court building in Ernakulam. | Photo credit: H.Vibhu

The Kerala High Court has directed the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) to release ₹9.73 crore to settle 225 victim compensation claims within five weeks.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice VM Syama Kumar directed the Member Secretary of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) to review the status of payments at the concerned District Legal Services Offices on a weekly basis.

The court also directed the secretaries of the respective district legal services offices to collect all required documents from the victims at the time their cases are heard in court to avoid delays in processing and payment of compensation.

In a related matter, the court took note of the revised rates of fees for mediators in the Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre. He directed the state government to release the honorarium paid to the mediators at the revised rates.

The court reviewed the status report filed by KeLSA on victim compensation scheme in a suo motu petition regarding inadequate infrastructure in various mediation and alternative dispute resolution centers across the state.

The two matters were related as both related to delay in release of payments by the state government.

Published – 18 Oct 2026 15:25 IST