The Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC) has announced the successful resolution of the long-pending death compensation case of Late Kanchetty Velmala, resulting in the transfer of ₹36,07,736.18 to the District Collector’s Office for disbursement to the legal heirs. The compensation amount has been transferred to the Office of the District Collector, Nizamabad, Telangana, and all required documents have already been submitted by the legal heirs. The amount is expected to be released to the beneficiaries after completion of the remaining statutory procedures.The deceased, Kanchetti Velmala, a native of Telangana, died while employed in the Sultanate of Oman. On October 27, 2021, an Omani court awarded statutory blood money (Diyah) to the legal heirs and confirmed their entitlement to receive the compensation. However, despite the final court order, the family had to wait for 5 years due to procedural delays in processing the payment.The Pravasi Legal Cell said the case was resolved following sustained intervention by its Global President Adv. Jose Abraham, Global PRO and Bahrain Chapter President Sudheer Thirunilath, and the organisation’s Oman Chapter.
The organisation also acknowledged the support extended by the Embassy of India in Muscat under the leadership of Ambassador Amit Narang, Community Welfare Attaché Dinesh Rana, and officials of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), whose coordinated efforts facilitated the completion of the process.Referring to the broader issue of delays in disbursing compensation awarded by foreign courts to Indian families, the Pravasi Legal Cell said it had recently submitted a memorandum to External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, seeking comprehensive reforms to streamline the mechanism.Among its key recommendations, the organisation proposed that, wherever legally permissible, compensation awarded by foreign courts should be transferred directly to the verified bank accounts of legal heirs instead of routing the payments through district collectorates. It said similar systems are already operational in countries such as Bahrain, resulting in faster and more efficient disbursement of compensation.
While welcoming the resolution of the present case, the organisation stressed the need for a transparent, efficient and time-bound national framework to ensure that compensation awarded to families of Indians who die abroad is released without prolonged delays.The Pravasi Legal Cell said it is presently handling several death compensation and labour rights cases involving Indian migrant workers across GCC countries. It added that it would continue working with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Missions abroad and other competent authorities to secure justice, legal entitlements and timely compensation for overseas Indian workers and their families.The organisation said the successful resolution of the case demonstrates how coordinated efforts between civil society organisations, Indian diplomatic missions and government agencies can help ensure timely justice for families of migrant workers while highlighting the need for systemic policy reforms.
