Prisoners pay victim compensation fund, have all rights to question fund handling: Madras HC

CHENNAI: Noting how prisoners were contributing to the fund that is used to compensate victims, the Madras High Court said this gave jail inmates every right to question the action or inaction, or omission or commission of prison authorities in settling victim compensation.

A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice M Jothiraman directed the Accountant General of Tamil Nadu (Audit) to depute a team of accounts officers to check and find out the correctness of the accounts maintained and the genuineness of the payments made to the victims as they claim.

Also, noting that the district-level committees at all eight Central Prisons in the State handled the victim compensation fund, the bench directed the Accountant General to audit these panels, too. The court told the Accountant General to file a report in this regard on January 30, and adjourned the matter for further proceedings.

The directions were issued while hearing a petition moved by Deepalakshmi, whose husband Senthilkumar alias Mudikondan is presently lodged in Vellore Central Prison after being convicted in a case. According to her, though her husband is classified as an A-class prisoner, the prison authorities did not follow Rule 233 of the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules and failed to provide privileges that an inmate categorised as A-class prisoner should get.

The exercise has been carried out by the prison authorities as per their whims and fancies, she alleged.

Appearing for Deepalakshmi, advocate P Pugalenthi pointed out that the Prison Department was deducting 20 per cent wages of the prisoners to the account of the victim compensation fund. However, he raised suspicion over the way in which the fund was handled, alleging that the compensation was not being paid properly to the victims despite the amount being deducted from prisoners. The lawyer also presented reports that appeared in newspapers to support his charges.