Unclaimed compensation lying with MACTs & labour courts a pan-India issue, says Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said huge amounts of unclaimed compensation, payable to the claimants and lying deposited with the Motor Accident Claims Tribunals (MACTs) and labour courts, is a pan-India issue.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih asked why claimants, who have been awarded compensation, do not come forward to collect the money.

“This is a pan-India issue,” the bench observed.

While hearing the matter on July 8, the bench had noted in its order that as per an administrative order of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, a suo motu (on its own) writ petition was registered on the basis of an e-mail of May 25 sent by a retired district judge of Gujarat.

The July 8 order noted the e-mail mentions that large amounts payable by way of compensation were unclaimed and lying with MACTs and labour courts.

It had said as per the e-mail, in the state of Gujarat alone, a sum of about Rs 2,000 crore was lying unclaimed and no efforts were being made to trace the beneficiaries to whom such compensation was payable.

The bench had then sought responses from the Gujarat government and the Registrar General of the Gujarat High Court in the matter.