The Bombay High Court in the case Kavita w/o. Waman Kokode vs Govt of Maha observed and has awarded Rs. 1 lakh compensation to a woman for the trauma of surviving a tiger attack and the court expressed shock at the casual manner in which forest officials wrote off the bravery awardee’s wounds as ‘simple injuries.’ The Division bench comprising of Justice Rohit Deo and Justice Vrushali Joshi in the case observed and has set aside the order of the Assistant Conservator of Forest. The court in the case stated that this court is shocked with the decision taken by the Assistant Conservator of Forrest considering the injuries sustained in Tiger attack as simple injuries and calculating the amount of Rs.10,000/- which being towards the compensation when the Government has honoured her by giving Bravery Certificate.
Further, the court observed that Kavita Kokode, a farmer in Chandrapur District in Maharashtra in the month of January 24 went to collect Tur seeds when she was attacked by a fully grown tiger and was seriously injured. Therefore, she in the case was being helped by some other labourers and spent over four days in the hospital. It has also been claimed by Kokode that because of attack she has become mentally disturbed, unable to perform any professional work or even household work. Thus, the right of hand her is severely affected and she is unable to get any work done.
Therefore, she also filed an application with the forest department, wherein she received an amount of Rs. 10,000 as compensation. Therefore, the wounds were categorised as simple injuries. Thus, It has also been availed her that the said compensation amount before the High Court. It has also been submitted by the counsel of her that it was the forest department’s duty to protect the lives of innocent people residing in nearby villages and to compensate the injured. However, the Government had given the petitioner a Bravery Certificate for fighting off the fully grown Tiger. It has also been stated by the State that the Assistant Conservator of Forestconcluded the woman suffered simple injuries, the court has given Rs. 4,000 to her at the time of taking treatment and another Rs. 6,000 subsequently.
The bench in the case stated that while considering the trauma received by her without considering the nature of injury whether simple or grievous, thus, the respondent hold have to consider the attack by the wild animal that too the Tiger, she is being entitled for an amount of Rs.1,00,000/- as per the Government Resolution.
