Nearly seven months after the Chandigarh Administration was directed to pay Rs 1 crore to the father of a student who died and Rs 50 lakh to a girl who lost her arm in the Carmel Convent School tree-fall tragedy, the administration has paid a total of Rs 1.2 crore towards compensation.Taking a note of the development, Justice Vikas Bahl of the Punjab and Haryana High Court disposed of the contempt petition after recording that drafts of Rs 80 lakh and Rs 40 lakh had been handed over—towards compensation for the deceased child and the injured child, respectively—to counsel Ramdeep Partap Singh.Appearing before Justice Bahl’s Bench, UT counsel submitted that the administration had already paid Rs 30 lakh. As such, the entire amount of Rs 1.5 crore has now been paid, subject to the outcome of the appeal.Ramdeep Partap Singh, on the other hand, maintained that the single judge’s award of Rs 1.5 crore was “over and above” the Rs 30 lakh already disbursed. As such, the full amount had not yet been paid.He nevertheless agreed to the disposal of the contempt plea for now, seeking liberty to approach the division bench to take up the matter regarding the payment of the remaining amount.Accepting the submission, Justice Bahl directed: “The present contempt petition is disposed of with liberties aforesaid.”The court also recorded that the injured victim—now a major—was exploring the possibility of transplantation, and the petitioners might seek enforcement of directions requiring the administration to bear all related medical expenses. Liberty was granted to revive or file a fresh contempt petition on this aspect.The development follows the High Court’s earlier direction to release compensation even during the pendency of the UT’s appeal.The division bench of Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Rohit Kapoor had only last month clarified that the payment would be “in terms of the order of the single judge” and “shall remain subject to the outcome of the appeal.”In its September 29, 2025 judgment, the High Court had rejected the administration’s “act of God” defence, holding it liable for negligence and criticising its stance.Justice Kuldeep Tiwari had observed: “This conduct reflects a lack of empathy and sensitivity on the part of the Chandigarh Administration,” while noting that compensation alone had not been implemented despite compliance with other remedial measures.The court had upheld findings of negligence against the engineering department and underscored the trauma suffered by the victims.It had noted that the injured student’s condition “has… limited her future career opportunities and may impact her prospects for marriage,” while observing on the deceased minor: “It is difficult to fathom the pain which the parents have suffered… and no amount can compensate this loss.”