The Delhi High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by the petitioner seeking enhanced compensation under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela upheld the Single Judge’s decision, which had denied full compensation on the ground that the complainant had amicably settled the matter with the accused.
The petitioner had initially lodged FIR No. 337/2019 alleging caste-based atrocities and sought compensation under the SC/ST Rules, 1995. Though a chargesheet was filed, the matter was later settled, leading to the FIR’s quashing. Despite this, the petitioner claimed entitlement to ₹4.15 lakh under Rule 12(4), which provides for stage-wise compensation (25% at FIR, 50% post-chargesheet, 25% on conviction). However, only ₹10,000 was sanctioned based on the lowest applicable section of the Act, as the dispute had been settled without trial.
The Court observed that compensation under the Act is tied to the continuation of legal proceedings to deter atrocities and support victims not as unconditional monetary relief. It noted Meena had earlier received ₹2.4 lakh in 2014 from a similar FIR against the same accused, raising doubts about the genuineness of the present claim.
Dismissing the appeal as meritless, the Court imposed a cost of ₹10,000 on the appellant for attempting to misuse the Victim Compensation Scheme.
