Rape Survivors Face Roadblocks in Getting Compensation

Hyderabad: For many rape survivors in Telangana, the nightmare does not end with the crime. It continues inside police stations, in courtrooms, and at workplaces, recounting the trauma. But the system fails many of them, by neither delivering justice nor compensation.

Compensation awarded to survivors of atrocities against women — a category that includes adult rape victims — accounts for only 10 per cent of all victims compensated in the last five years, an appallingly low percentage, according to data from the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA).

The Central government had established a Central Victim Compensation Fund (CVCF) for victims of rape, acid attacks, human trafficking, and women injured or killed in cross-border firing, with an initial corpus of Rs 200 crore.

Following the introduction of this scheme, the State Legal Services Authority revised its scheme in 2018, increasing the maximum compensation amount to Rs 10 lakh. The scheme also provides for interim relief, though disbursal timelines vary in practice.

However, in the last five years, only 58 rape survivors received Rs 2,29,62,500 — an average of Rs 3.95,905 per victim as against the maximum eligibility of Rs 10 lakh — as compensation under the new Telangana Victim Compensation Scheme.

Compensation is independent of conviction. Whether the accused is proven guilty or not, the victim is entitled to interim relief in cases involving “physical loss or injury or psychological trauma.”

However, many women in Telangana still struggle to benefit from the scheme. In 2019-20, only one survivor received compensation; in 2020-21 there were nine and in 2021-22, five. In 2022-23 and 2023-24, 28 survivors received compensation, and 12 in 2024-25.

This year, till November 13, only three women have received compensation. These numbers stand in stark contrast to the thousands of rape cases registered every year in the state.

Lack of government fund releases, pressure on victims to withdraw or compromise, and gaps in awareness and sensitivity among police and trial judges leave many women living with trauma and without compensation.

“Many compensations are pending in our record. We have not been receiving funds from the government. Victims are aware and they reach out to us, but we unfortunately have to send them back as we cannot issue any funds without a release from the government,” a district women and child protection officer told Deccan Chronicle.

Publicly available government notifications do not show recent updates on victim compensation fund releases since 2018.

Ch. Panchakshari, member secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, said victims turn hostile in many cases. “They are either forced to compromise with the accused by the family or village elders, or they move on with their lives. Our trial judges do recommend when they feel the victim requires compensation.”

According to Shravya Mandadi, founder of the WE&SHE Foundation, many adult rape victims and frontline officers lack knowledge about Section 357A of the CrPC (the victim compensation scheme).

“The Pocso Act has clear laws mandating victim compensation. At the police-station level, support is inconsistent, paperwork is slow, and applications often don’t reach the DLSA immediately. Court orders for compensation are not automatic, so survivors frequently wait until the end of the trial. Within DLSAs, local enquiries, documentation checks, and fund-flow approvals cause further delay. These gaps make the compensation process irregular and much slower for adults compared to Pocso cases,” Shravya said.

She further said, “The State Victim Compensation Scheme needs a uniform minimum amount. The maximum is Rs 10 lakh and can be higher if required, but there is no minimum. We also need automatic interim relief and strict time-bound disbursal, along with a single-window system through police or Bharosa Centres to reduce delays and ensure survivors receive timely support.”

Recently, the death of an intellectually disabled rape survivor prompted the Supreme Court to instruct trial judges to pass compensation orders promptly, highlighting lapses in disbursement.

Senior counsel L. Ravichander stressed the need for heightened sensitivity among police and district court judges. “Many do not understand that a rape victim is treated worse than an accused in our country. Many lose their jobs. Forget compensation – victims of rape do not even receive proper rehabilitation. There is an urgent need for more sensitivity in understanding and handling rape cases,” he said.

A city-based High Court advocate also pointed to lack of proper guidelines and administrative confusion in the compensation release process. “Victims often lack clarity on how the process of compensation goes on or who to reach out to. If the investigating officer is pressured by the accused to encourage a compromise, or is not well-aware of the victim’s trauma, they may never tell her about the compensation.”

Long road

After a trial judge recommends compensation in the case of an adult rape victim, the application is forwarded to the secretary of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).

The DLSA examines it alongside various documentary proofs before deciding on the compensation to be recommended.

After approval, the application is sent to the State Legal Services Authority member-secretary, who orders the release of funds.

Reports have noted that in many places across India, including Telangana, applications often stall at the DLSA level due to documentation issues or procedural delays.

Victims can directly submit applications to the DLSA/SLSA, but these too often get held up due to lack of awareness or are lost in the stacks of paperwork, experts say.