Gauhati HC asks state government to pay Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to daughter of man killed during 1981 'Assam Movement'
Assam government to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the daughter of a man martyred during the Assam Agitation.
The court has directed the same to be paid under ex gratia compensation scheme. The government has earlier rejected the compensation on the ground that the ex gratia had been already disbursed to the brother of the deceased person.
The single judge bench of Justice Devashis Baruah stated that the ex gratia amount was wrongly paid to the brother of the deceased without the proper documentation, leading to the denial of the rightful entitlement to the petitioner, the daughter of Late Loknath Saikia.
“It further reveals from the instructions which have been placed before this court during the course of hearing that the amount was disbursed to the respondent number 4 at the own volition of the respondent authorities.
However, the entitlement in respect to the said amount was of the petitioner who admittedly is the daughter of Late Loknath Saikia. Under such circumstances, this court is of the opinion that the respondent authorities cannot deprive the petitioner of the grant of ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh on account of their fault of disbursing the said amount wrongfully to respondent number 4,” Justice Baruah noted.
The petitioner is the daughter of Late Loknath Saikia who was killed by the police when he was participating in the Assam Agitation on November 30, 1981.
