West Bengal has forgotten its feminist roots; lags in progress and governance: Calcutta High Court

The State of West Bengal has forgotten its 'progressive feminist roots, the Calcutta High Court recently observed while frowning upon the State government's outdated compensation scheme for acid attack victims.[Paramita Bera v. Union of India]..In a judgment delivered on September 8, Justice Shekhar Saraf invoked prominent freedom fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale, who had once said 'what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow.' "This saying was so relevant in the early 1900’s; however, the position today is antithetical and the State of West Bengal lags in almost all areas of progress and governance as well as following best practices that are mandated by the Supreme Court of India. It is unfortunate that this State, which was once known for its progressive feminist discourse, with women such as Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, Sarojini Naidu Chattopadhyay and many others, has forgotten its feminist roots," the judge said.The Court thus urged the State government to take note of Bengal’s rich feminist history and ensure that Gokhale’s saying once again finds relevance..The judge made these observations while deciding an application filed by a minor acid attack victim seeking compensation under the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes, 2018.The scheme mandates a minimum compensation of ₹7 lakh and a maximum amount of ₹8 lakh for acid attack victims. It also provides for an additional compensation of 50 per cent of the minimum amount, if the victim is a minor..The Court noted that the Supreme Court in 2018 had directed all states to follow the best practices stipulated under NALSA’s Compensation Scheme. However, it found that the West Bengal government was yet to comply with the apex court's order."It appears that the State of West Bengal has not complied with the mandate of the Supreme Court in Nipun Saxena vs Union of India and has failed to amend its own scheme of compensation in tune with NALSA’s Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault/other Crimes, 2018," the judge said.Therefore, the Court ordered the State government to immediately act in accordance with the Supreme Court's judgment and frame a scheme on the lines of NALSA’s Compensation Scheme within a period of eight weeks..In the instant case, the Court ordered the State to pay ₹7 lakh compensation to the petitioner victim and an additional ₹3.50 lakh as mandated under the NALSA Scheme..Advocates Debashis Banerjee and Rakesh Jana appeared for the petitioner.Advocate Soma Chowdhury represented the State..[Read Judgment]