The Hindu : New Delhi News : `Explain opposition to compensation plea'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 23, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

`Explain opposition to compensation plea'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, NOV. 22. The Delhi High Court today asked the Delhi Government to give the rationale for opposing a petition seeking damages for the custodial death of Rajan Pillai, the then Singapore-based biscuit king, in 1995.

Seeking the response from the State Government, Justice C.K. Mahajan observed that the Court did not see any justifiable reasons for opposing the damage claim filed by Nina Pillai, widow of Rajan Pillai, once it ( Government) had accepted the Leela Seth Enquiry Commission Report on the circumstances leading to the death of Rajan Pillai.

Counsel for Nina Pillai, Aryama Sundaram also submitted that the Delhi Government had no valid reasons to oppose the plea of his client in view of the acceptance of the Enquiry Commission Report by it.

The Enquiry Commission had indicted the four doctors who had treated Rajan Pillai for negligence on their part, Mr. Sundaram submitted.

Justice Mahajan also asked Mr. Sundaram to bring to his notice laws about providing monetary compensation to the kith and kin of the dead.

Nina Pillai had filed the damage claim in 1998.

Justice Mahajan will now take up the matter for further hearing in January next year.

Rajan Pillai had died at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital here in judicial custody on July 7, 1995, after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a request by the Singapore Government that he was wanted in a fraud case there.

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