HC stops govt from handing over relief cash to hooch victims’ kin

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the state government not to hand over the Rs 2 lakh compensation amount directly to the families of the victims of last year's hooch tragedy that killed 172 people in South 24-Parganas.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Jaynarayan Patel and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi told the government to deposit the amount in a monthly income scheme of the post office under the supervision of the District Magistrate of South 24-Parganas.

The court said the interest earned from the deposit will be disbursed to the families on a monthly basis.

A portion of Rs 2 lakh could be withdrawn from the fixed deposit for any reasonable purpose if the District Magistrate approved the request of the concerned family, said the Division Bench, which had earlier put a stay on the distribution of the compensation amount.

The court was hearing a PIL asking the court's intervention in stopping the government from directly handing over the cash to the victim's families saying that they would expend the money without utlising it for proper use.

In December last year, 172 people died after consuming illicit country liquor, following which the state government announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of each of the victims.

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