India, Jan. 26 -- States and Union territories will be liable to pay a higher Rs.30 lakh compensation for deaths due to manual scavenging if no ex gratia was paid before the Supreme Court's October 2023 judgment on such cases, the court has said.

On January 20, the court said that cases in which Rs.10 lakh compensation was paid before the 2023 judgment will not be reopened. The clarification came as high courts had begun to apply the 2023 order differently, with no uniform standards to deal with claims for higher compensation for deaths where compensation was paid, and cases settled.

The January 20 order came on a National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) application, citing differing high court decisions. Some high courts reopened settl...