Supreme Court steps in to disburse Rs 2,000 crore unclaimed crash payout in Gujarat

NEW DELHI: As crores of rupees deposited with Motor Accident Claims Tribunals and labour courts remain unclaimed and efforts are not being made to reach out to beneficiaries, Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the issue to ensure that the amounts are handed over to them.
A bench of Justices Abhay Oka and Agustine George Masih, for the time being, issued notice to Gujarat govt and Registrar of Gujarat HC as it was brought to its notice that more than Rs 2,000 crore remain deposited with the tribunal in the state.The court took cognisance on the basis of an email written to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud seeking his indulgence to address the issue. Approximately Rs. 2,000 crores are deposited in Gujarat alone, the email pointed out.
The bench issued notice to the state through the secretary of Department of Law and Justice and the Registrar General the Gujarat HC, and sought their response by July 26. It also directed Registrar General and the Law Secretary to take steps to gather data on the amounts of compensation currently deposited with the tribunals. tnn