On May 27, 2025, the Supreme Court of India issued a notice to the Union Government, the Ministry of Law and Justice, and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in response to a writ petition seeking the implementation of a child victim compensation scheme under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The petition, filed by the Just Rights for Children Alliance, highlights the urgent need for a formalized compensation framework to address the psychological, emotional, educational, and financial needs of child victims of sexual abuse. Senior Advocate Pragyan Pradip Sharma informed the Court that a draft scheme titled “Compensation, Rehabilitation, Welfare and Education of POCSO Victims, 2019” had been prepared following the Court’s earlier directions in the Nipun Saxena case. However, despite the Union’s obligation to respond to the draft scheme, no progress has been made, and several states have yet to implement compensation measures in line with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Scheme, 2018.

Justice BV Nagarathna, while hearing the matter, inquired whether any existing schemes under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Indian Penal Code) or the Code of Criminal Procedure apply to child victims. In response, Advocate Sharma stated that no such scheme is currently applicable to child victims. The Court also requested a list of 12 child victims, who are petitioners in this case, to ascertain whether they have received compensation. Advocate Sharma confirmed that none of them have received any compensation thus far.

The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for August 18, 2025, to further deliberate on the matter.

Sources