Judgment :

1. The inadequacies of interim compensation (or ex gratia) paid to two gang raped girls is the subject matter of this special leave petition. The order of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh records the submission made on behalf of the State Government that by way of an interim relief, payment of Rs. 2 lakhs has been granted to the two girl victims. The State Government also stated before the High Court that it would take care of the victims in future also.

2. The girl victims were school going children belonging to poor families. They were gang raped by 16 persons. Since the issue in the special leave petition is confined to compensation to these victims, we are not inclined to undertake the larger issue relating to framing of uniform social security schemes by the States to such victims. We are informed that a group of Writ Petitions is already pending before this Court on this aspect.

3. Coming back to the aspect of compensation, suffice it to say that amount of Rs. 2 Lakhs each to the two victims by way of compensation (the petitioner, who appears in-person, states that the said payment is ex gratia) is, in our opinion, too low and grossly inadequate. The traumatic stre