HC tells AG to audit TN Victim Compensation Fund accounts

Chennai, Jan 21 (PTI) The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Accountant General of Tamil Nadu to audit accounts under the Tamil Nadu Victim Compensation Fund to ascertain the genuineness of payments made to the victims.

A division bench comprising Justices S M Subramaniam and M Jothiraman gave the directive while passing an interim order on a petition filed by the wife of a convict.

In her petition, M Depalaksmi sought a direction to the authorities to ensure A-Class privileges already conferred to her husband, who is a convict prisoner (Senthilkumar-Mudikondan) presently confined at Vellore central prison.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted that from the prisoner's salary, 20 percent of the wages was deducted for settling the victim compensation. Also, he relied on a newspaper report of 2018, which claimed that about Rs 11.61 crore of Victim Compensation Fund was 'lying unused' with the prison department.

The bench said, in view of the circumstances, the court was inclined to order audit of accounts under Rule 10 of Tamil Nadu Victim Compensation Fund Rules, 2009 to find out the correctness of the accounts being maintained and regarding the genuineness of payments made to the victims under the Tamil Nadu Victim Compensation Fund.

The audit shall be conducted within a period of two weeks in all the 8 central prisons across Tamil Nadu and a report from the Accountant General of Tamil Nadu (Audit) shall be submitted before the court on January 30, 2025.

The bench said, meanwhile, the Additional Public Prosecutor has submitted that a report will be filed by the authorities regarding the action taken over the grievances of the petitioner in the present petition. Directing the authorities to submit a report before the court on January 27, the bench posted to January 27, further hearing of the case. PTI CORR VGN