NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the National Legal Services Authority’s (NALSA) scheme for compensating the victims of sexual assault and acid attacks should be used as guidelines by special courts in awarding compensation to minor victims of sexual abuse till the Centre finalises the rules.
The Apex Court took note of the fact that no rules have been framed by the Centre under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on the basis of which special courts could award compensation to minor victims of cases under the law.
A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur, which had earlier accepted the NALSA’s ‘Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/Other Crimes-2018’, said the scheme and the guidelines would be operational across the country from October 2.
“…We are of the opinion that the NALSA compensation scheme should function as the guidelines for special courts (under the POCSO Act) to award compensation to the victims of sexual abuses until rules are formalised by the Central Government,” the bench, which also comprised Justices S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta, said. (AGENCIES)
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