The Delhi High Court on Friday has issued notice to the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) and directed it to file its reply on a plea filed by a woman victim of human trafficking seeking compensation to the tune of Rs 19 lakh as per the Delhi Victim’s Compensation Scheme.
The Court has directed Kanwal Jeet Arora, Member Secretary, DSLSA, to be present on the next date of hearing. A single-judge bench of Justice Rekha Palli was hearing a plea for the grant of compensation under Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme, 2018, filed by a victim of human trafficking.
Advocate S.K Tripathi appearing for the Delhi Government informed the court that they have already forwarded the petitioner’s representation to DSLSA for taking an appropriate decision.
The petitioner is a 20-year-old woman from Meghalaya, who was lured and trafficked on the pretext of providing a job. The petition states that the woman was brought to Delhi on January 11, 2020 and shifted to some place in Malviya Nagar, where she was forced into commercial sexual exploitation.
Thereafter, another woman belonging to the petitioner’s community was also brought to the said place on February 2, 2020, where she too was subjected to forced commercial sexual exploitation. However, this woman managed to escape from the said place and later returned with police on February 14, 2020 to rescue the petitioner, when she was taken to a safe place.
The petition avers that on February 22, 2021 the petitioner made representations for the grant of compensation under Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme, 2018, before the concerned authorities, however, no concrete action was taken.
The petitioner seeks a compensation of Rs 19 lakh under Delhi Victim Compensation Scheme for rehabilitation of the petitioner who is a victim of trafficking/kidnapping, sexual and physical abuse, rape, unnatural sexual assault, physical injury and mental injury. On the last date of hearing, no one appeared for the respondents and the matter was deferred to August 13.
The next date for hearing is September 6.