Sexual abuse at fake NCC camp: Madras High Court orders compensation for victims

The Madras High Court on September 19 directed the Tamil Nadu government to pay an ex gratia compensation of ₹5 lakh each to two school students who were subjected to penetrative sexual assault and ₹1 lakh each to all other students who were sexually abused at a fake National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp organised a private school in Krishnagiri district.

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice PB Balaji directed the TN government to deposit the ex gratia compensation amount before the Krishnagiri Mahila court within four weeks.

The victims’ families can thereafter, file applications with the assistance of the district legal services authority for withdrawal of the amount, the Court said.

The Court also granted liberty to the State government to recover the amount from the school management concerned.

It directed the police to file a detailed status report on the steps taken so far to investigate the case. The High Court will hear the matter further on September 30.

The Court was hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by lawyer AP Suryaprakasam seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe saying that the prime accused A Sivaraman and his father had died under “mysterious circumstances.”

The case pertains to an incident in a private school in Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu where 12 minor girl students were subjected to sexual abuse by one A Sivaraman who had organised a fake NCC camp at the School between August 5 and 9 this year and had sexually abused the victims.

Sivaraman was arrested on August 19 following a complaint made by the victim of rape. He later died at a hospital in Salem on August 23. A day prior to his death, his father had also died in a road accident.

A judicial inquiry is already underway to probe the circumstances surrounding Sivaraman’s death.