New Delhi: The Supreme Court has held that trial courts, while sentencing the accused in heinous crimes, must award reasonable and fair compensation to the victim’s family as provided under Section 357A Cr.P.C.
Giving this ruling, a bench of Justices T.S. Thakur and A.K. Goel directed the accused/convict to pay Rs 2 lakhs as compensation to the family of the victim who died due to electric shock due to appellant’s negligence as he was drawing electricity through an exposed pole. The bench directed the Madhya Pradesh government to pay an additional Rs 3 lakhs to the victim’s family.
The bench said, “Apart from the sentence and fine to be paid by the accused, the Court has to award compensation by the state under Section 357A Cr.P.C. when the accused is not in a position to pay fair compensation.”
