Cuttack, Jan 29: In a significant verdict, the Orissa High Court today ordered for payment of Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the family members of the deceased in the Sahid Nagar police station custodial death case of 2012.
The court has further directed for realization of the compensation amount from the guilty officials and payment of the same to family members of the deceased within four months.
“In the final judgment Justice B R Sarangi issued directions to the state government to pay compensation to the bereaved family whose son had died due to torture while in custody. The court has directed for payment of Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the bereaved family. Again the government is not directly liable for payment of the compensation amount. It is rather vicarious liability of the government. The amount is to be recovered from the concerned IIC and IO,” said Ranjit Mohanty, petitioner’s lawyer speaking to reporters after pronouncement of the verdict.
It is worthwhile to mention here that a youth Kuldeep Mohapatra posing as a police official in June 2012 was extorting money from truck drivers.
Locals overpowered Kuldeep after thrashing him heavily handed him over to the police. Kuldeep was critically injured due to the thrashing by the public.
But the police instead of taking him to the hospital for treatment had kept him in custody at the Sahid Nagar police station.
Later when his condition deteriorated he was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead by the doctors.
His father alleging police negligence and torture had moved the High Court demanding a compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the death of his son.
