Kumbakonam fire victims association files contempt plea
This commission had on March 30, 2016, submitted its report recommending Rs 50000 to Rs 6 lakh compensation based on the injury.
Chennai: The Kumbakonam School Fire Tragedy Victims Association (KSFTVA) has filed a contempt petition in the Madras high court, to punish the authorities for not complying with the order of the court relating to payment of compensation to the families of victims of Kumbakonam school fire tragedy, in which 94 children died and several injured.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Huluvadi G. Ramesh and Justice R. Mahadevan before whom the contempt petition filed by K. Inbaraj, secretary of the KSFTVA, came up for hearing ordered notice to the state chief secretary and school education secretary and posted for next week, further hearing of the case.
Originally, on a petition filed by K. Inbaraj, father of one of the deceased and secretary of KSFTVA, the high court had appointed a retired judge, Justice K. Venkataraman, Commission of Inquiry, to determine the compensation payable to the victims.
This commission had on March 30, 2016, submitted its report recommending Rs 50000 to Rs 6 lakh compensation based on the injury and death claims to those who filed claims petition before the commission with interest at the rate of 6 percent from the date of filing the claim petition. Aggrieved, the petitioner filed another petition to enhance the compensation.
Responding to a review petition the state government filed an affidavit stating that the government carefully considered the observation made by the court in its interim order and had decided to pay the compensation as recommended by the commission with interest at the rate as per prevailing the GPF interest rate from the date of occurrence of the incident to the victims and families.
In his present contempt petition, Inbaraj submitted that, though the authorities received the bank details of the claimants on October 27 and were to comply with the court directions by November 26, 2016. However, they failed to comply with the directions of this court.
Therefore, he sent a legal notice to the authorities. But, there was no response.
Instead of complying with the orders of this court in letter and spirit, the authorities have flouted the order. Hence, they were liable to be punished under the Contempt of Courts Act, he added.
