Bombay HC Issues Show Cause Notice To Maharashtra Home Dept Officer Over MSHRC Compensation Case

Mumbai, June 23: The Bombay High Court has issued a suo motu show-cause notice to a senior Maharashtra Home Department officer for allegedly failing to comply with its directions in a public interest litigation concerning payment of compensation awarded by the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) to victims of human rights violations.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad expressed displeasure over the failure of the Home Department's nodal officer, Shubhangi Pote, Deputy Secretary, to carry out directions issued by the court on April 22, 2026.

Court Notes Alleged Non-Compliance

"The directions set out in paragraph no. 2 of the order dated 22nd April, 2026 have been ignored by the Nodal Officer," the bench observed.

The court noted that it was unclear whether Pote had undertaken the verification exercise directed by the court to establish the identity of applicants and quantify their claims. It further recorded that an affidavit, which was required to be filed before the court, had not been submitted.

Taking serious note of the alleged non-compliance, the bench ordered the issuance of a suo motu show-cause notice asking Pote to explain why action should not be initiated against her for disobedience of the court's order.

The court directed that Pote remain personally present before it and tender an explanation on the next date of hearing.

PIL Over Pending Compensation

The matter arises from a PIL filed by advocate Satyam Surana alleging large-scale non-payment of compensation awarded by the MSHRC in cases involving human rights violations.

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Earlier this year, the High Court had directed the state government to deposit Rs 3.60 crore towards compensation awarded in 136 cases. In March, the state informed the court that the amount had been deposited in the court registry pursuant to its directions.

The state had contended that compensation remained unpaid in only 33 cases involving approximately Rs 33 lakh and that several other cases had either been complied with, challenged before appropriate forums, or were under review.

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