Shillong, Sept 12: The Meghalaya High Court has summoned the member secretary of the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) over alleged non-payment of compensation to a rape victim.

The member secretary was asked to appear on Friday.

The direction was passed by the division bench comprising of Chief Justice, Ajay Kumar Mittal and Justice, H S Thangkhiew on Thursday while hearing a PIL filed by the chairperson of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, M Kharkongor.

During the hearing, the Advocate General has produced a copy of the order dated 19.11.2018 passed by the division bench wherein, an amount of Rs 50 lakh under the victim compensation fund had been sanctioned by the Political department on November 16, last year.

It was stated that it is for the member secretary of the MSLSA to examine the cases, and after proper approval to release the amount in favour of the deserving victim(s) to the extent recommended by the authorities.

The chairperson of the commission in a letter submitted on Wednesday has informed that despite interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh, as awarded by the special court (POCSO) at Shillong on August 5, the state government has not made any payments to the families of a minor victim.