The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Compensation for woman kept in custody

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 07, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Compensation for woman kept in custody

Staff Reporter

HIGH COURTROUND-UP

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court, on Wednesday, directed the State Government to pay P.E. Arifa of Perumbavoor a compensation of Rs.50,000, with 8 per cent interest from May 24, 1997, for being kept in police custody illegally for 80 hours.

Justice A.K. Basheer issued the directive while allowing a writ petition filed by Ms. Arifa. According to her, her husband, a wholesale dealer in fabrics, had given her brother a certain quantity of fabric on credit. Later, the latter refused to pay the money, and a criminal case was filed against him.

When she came to her parental house to participate in a ceremony organised in connection with the death of her father, her brother threatened her and demanded that the case be withdrawn. He called the police who took her to the Ernakulam Vanitha Police Station as she refused to accede to the demand.

Refuting the allegations, the sub-inspector of the station said that she was brought to the police station on a petition filed by her brother and mother complaining that she was creating nuisance in the house. The incident took place on May 24, 1997. According to the police, she had demanded money and 20 sovereigns of gold from her mother. She was later sent to the relief settlement home at Palluruthy.

The court said the callous indifference of the State and its officers was evident from the police's averment. The distress aspect was that an inquiry had been ordered into the incident only in March 2000.

Even assuming that she had made some illegal demands for gold and money, the police had no right to detain the young woman.

She had to suffer the ignominy of being detained in a police station from morning till evening.

Compensation for actor

A Bench comprising Justice J.B. Koshy and Justice K.R. Udayabhanu ordered the United Insurance Company to pay an enhanced compensation to the film actor Jose Prakash. The motor accident claims tribunal awarded him Rs. 1.24 lakhs as compensation. He was injured in Thrissur in 1987 when his car hit a culvert.

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