Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (NR)

Mangalore, Jul 20: The State was directed by the Karnataka High Court to pay a compensation of Rs 1 lac to a Mangalore tempo driver here on Thursday July 19 in response to a petition filed by him.

The High Court came down rather severely on city police for brutally assaulting and robbing the tempo driver Rajesh of a sum of Rs 4,200. It also levied a sum Rs 10,000  and gave liberty to the said driver to approach a civil court to claim damages.

In his complaint Rajesh had alleged that on June 20, 2005 he had parked his tempo in the house of the vehicle owner at Moodbidri and was walking towards his wife’s house at Alanger. He had walked a distance of about two kilometers when two constables stopped him at around 1 am . He was then without provocation so badly beaten by the constables that his hand got fractured.

He further stated that the police neither accepted his complaint nor did they take action against the constables. Following this Rejesh moved the High Court for compensation as he had remained unemployed due to his fracture.

Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri while allowing the petition stated that this was a case fit for awarding compensation. He even cited several decisions of the Supreme Court, wherein it had dealt at length with issues pertaining to payment of compensation, in cases of police brutality and atrocity.