R RAJAMANI Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner, who belongs to a dalit family and an unfortunate wife of one Rajaram, who was killed by the respondent police in the Pallavaram Police Station, is seeking for a just and reasonable compensation for the custodial death of her husband on 23.6.1993.

(2.) THE grievance of the petitioner was that her husband was working as a Mason who was looking after her, her two sons (Vijayakumar and Janakiraman) and a daughter (Kanchana). Her husband was taken to police custody on 20.6.1993 allegedly in connection with selling of illicit liquor. THE petitioner attempted to meet her husband during the night of 20.6.1993 and during the day of 21.6.1993 but was not fruitful. Later she had heard stories about her husband being tortured to death by the police personnel attached to Pallavaram Police Station at Chennai.

(3.) THE third respondent Revenue Divisional Officer even questioned the then trainee Additional Superintendent of Police Thiru Sankar Jiwal, IPS and found out that his conduct was not above board in this incident. In his final report he had observed as follows:- ''Further the Sub-Inspector Natarajan,Police Constables Vijayaragavan (2352), Sekar (989), Gandhi (PC 2150), Venkatesan (818) noted with excess behaviour by detaining the deceased unlawfully and torturing him. From the enquiries conducted in the above matter, I am to conclude that there was a lot of indiscipline and indifferent attitude of the police personnel working in this station. THEre were not checked properly and the erring official allowed to continue on their own accord. Though the death of Rajaram is an attempted suicide, the following personnel are primarily responsible for this as the alleged crime by the deceased accused is too small. 1. Thiru Sankar Jiwal, IPS, ASP, Pallavaram 2. Thiru Natarajan, SI, Pallavaram 3. Thiru Vijayaraghavan, PC 2352 4. Thiru Gandhi, PC 2150 5. Thiru Sekar, PC 989