Madras Excessive Courtroom orders audit of Tamil Nadu Sufferer Compensation Fund in all eight central prisons

A view of Vellore Central Jail. Representational picture. File
| Picture Credit score: C. Venkatachalapathy

The Madras Excessive Courtroom on Tuesday (January 22, 2025) directed the Accountant Common of Tamil Nadu (AGTN) to depute a crew of 10 officers to conduct audits in any respect eight central prisons throughout the State with respect to using the Tamil Nadu Sufferer Compensation Fund.

Justices S.M. Subramaniam and M. Jothiraman issued the path after together with suo motu the AGTN as one of many respondents to a writ petition filed by the relative of a prisoner and ordered submission of the audit report earlier than the court docket by January 30, 2025.

M. Deepalakhsmi of Virudhachalam in Cuddalore district had filed the writ petition stating that her husband Mudikondan alias Senthilkumar was convicted in a homicide case in 2015 and sentenced to life. The punishment was confirmed by the Supreme Courtroom in 2018.

The petitioner’s counsel P. Pugalendhi instructed the court docket that the trial court docket had ordered provision of ‘A’ class services to the convict within the jail after considering that he was a panchayat president earlier than conviction, an revenue tax assessee and was additionally doing social service.

Alleging that the ‘A’ class privileges offered to the petitioner’s husband, since 2015, had been withdrawn all of the sudden three months in the past, the counsel stated, even the newspapers provided to him had been being censored to be able to not let him learn any information associated to prisons and courts.

The petitioner additionally said that although 20% of the wages as a result of prisoners had been being deducted for the aim of augmenting the Tamil Nadu Sufferer Compensation Fund, the fund was not being utilised correctly to supply financial help to victims of felony offences.

Claiming to have made a illustration to the jail officers to increase ‘A’ class services to her husband moreover guaranteeing efficient utilisation of the sufferer compensation fund, the petitioner sought a path to the Dwelling Secretary and different officers to think about her illustration.