In a stern rebuke to bureaucratic indifference, the Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately release pending compensation to a minor rape survivor from Lakhimpur Kheri. The bench, comprising Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Prashant Kumar, expressed deep anguish over the “callous and insensitive” handling of the victim’s case by state authorities.
The petitioner, identified as Victim X (through her father), had approached the court seeking compensation under the Uttar Pradesh Rani Lakshmi Bai Mahila Samman Kosh Rules, 2015, after waiting months without relief.
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Background
The horrifying incident occurred on May 8, 2025. An FIR was promptly lodged the same day, and a chargesheet was filed on June 25, 2025. Under the State’s compensation rules, a rape survivor classified under Serial No. 6 is entitled to ₹3 lakh - ₹1 lakh within 15 days of filing the charge sheet, and the remaining ₹2 lakh within one month.
But despite the clear legal timeline, not a single rupee had reached the victim even by late October. “It is indeed astounding to find that the victim has been forced to file this writ petition on September 9, 2025,” the bench noted, criticizing the inaction of the authorities.
When questioned, state counsel informed the court that officials had sought the victim’s bank details only after the petition was filed. The information was provided on October 16, yet, as of the hearing on October 27, no payment had been processed.
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Court’s Observations
The judges minced no words in condemning the bureaucratic delay. “One is unable to understand the apathy of the police officers/statutory authorities,” the bench observed, adding that the entire purpose of such compensation schemes was to urgently assist victims in trauma and recovery.
The court remarked that the delay “exacerbates the pain and suffering” of victims who already bear both physical and psychological scars. It also took note of the financial burden placed on the survivor’s family in having to move the High Court for what was rightfully theirs.
The bench warned that such “egregious procrastination” could not go unpunished, stressing that accountability must be fixed. “The reprehensible inaction and laissez-faire attitude of the officials concerned requires costs to be imposed on them,” the judges said.
Decision
In a strongly worded order, the court directed the State’s Principal Secretary, Women and Child Welfare Department, to release the full ₹3 lakh compensation within three days. Additionally, the court awarded ₹2 lakh as extra compensation to the victim for the inordinate delay.
The bench further ordered that the government was at liberty to recover this ₹2 lakh from the responsible officers and take departmental action against them. The writ petition was accordingly allowed.
The judgment sends a clear signal: state machinery cannot sleep on its duties when the law mandates timely financial and moral support to survivors of sexual assault.
Case: Victim X v. State of Uttar Pradesh through Principal Secretary, Women & Welfare Department and Another
Case Type & Number: Writ - C No. 9042 of 2025
Court & Bench: High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, Lucknow Bench
Bench: Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Prashant Kumar
Petitioner: Victim X (through her father, as next friend)
Respondents: State of Uttar Pradesh through Principal Secretary, Women Welfare Department, Lucknow, and another
Date of Judgment: October 27, 2025
