Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has ordered a comprehensive investigation across Uttar Pradesh into the possible misuse of financial assistance provided to victims under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The court stressed that relief under the law must reach genuine victims and directed authorities to develop an effective mechanism to monitor cases involving repeated claims for financial assistance.
The order was passed by a single bench of Justice Santosh Rai while hearing criminal appeals filed by Arvind Kumar and two others from Jhansi, along with Santosh Kumar Dohre. The appellants alleged discrepancies in the disbursement of relief. According to their submissions, the investigating officer had proposed ₹2 lakh for each victim, of which 75%, or ₹1.5 lakh, was to be released by the time the chargesheet was filed. However, the District Social Welfare Officer reportedly released only ₹75,000, while subsequent representations seeking the remaining amount were not acted upon.
The High Court observed that a Special Court constituted under Rule 12(7) is not merely a formal institution. It has the authority to examine whether victims have received adequate and timely relief and can order payment of outstanding amounts where necessary.
The case took a further turn after the state government informed the court that Santosh Kumar Dohre and his family had received ₹23.36 lakh in relief across various criminal cases, while another 10-12 cases were pending before the district-level committee.
The court directed the Jhansi District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police to conduct an impartial investigation into the cases and the relief already disbursed within three months. If irregularities are found, action may be taken against both the persons responsible and officials found accountable.
The Jhansi Special Court has also been directed to reconsider the relevant applications within six weeks and determine whether the applicable relief should be ₹1 lakh or ₹2 lakh.
