Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to release within five weeks the victim compensation amounts, totalling more than ₹9.73 crore across 225 cases, which have remained pending before authorities since September 16.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Syam Kumar V M also ordered the state government to disburse the honorarium of mediators at current revised rates while mandating a reconsideration of the amounts in line with a 2022 proposal put forward by the Board of Governors.

The review of mediators' compensation rates was ordered after the Kerala State Legal Services Authority informed the bench that the currently implemented revised amounts fall short of the figures recommended by the Board of Governors.

Addressing procedural delays, the court emphasized that the Member Secretary of KeLSA must henceforth guarantee timely disbursement of victim compensation. Appropriate instructions are to be issued to the secretaries of the respective District Legal Services Authorities to prevent future backlogs.

The bench instructed that secretaries of the DLSAs must collect all necessary documents directly from victims during the adjudication stage itself to eliminate subsequent delays in processing and payout.

Furthermore, the court addressed deficiencies concerning inadequate infrastructure across mediation centres throughout the state. The bench instructed the Member Secretary of KeLSA to conduct weekly status reviews regarding disbursement with individual DLSAs and submit a compliance report ahead of the next hearing on December 2.

Noting that compensation claims totaling ₹9.73 crore across 225 cases dating up to July 2026 have stalled before the Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department since September 16, 2026, the court stressed that the state government should clear the dues preferably within a five-week window.

Regarding the mediators' pay, the bench instructed the Member Secretary of KeLSA to provide the Finance Department Secretary with a statement detailing the differential amount owed under the revised September 30 honorarium rates. The Finance Department is required to release this differential sum promptly.

Finally, the court ordered the Member Secretary of KeLSA to file an official affidavit detailing the distribution of mediator honorariums and victim compensation funds, with DLSA secretaries directed to supply all requisite data to facilitate compliance reporting.