Court orders Rs.6 lakh relief for kin

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court has awarded a compensation of over Rs.6 lakh to the widow of a man who died in the Tihar Jail here in 2007.

Justice S. Muralidhar Friday granted the compensation to Saroj Rani, widow of Vinod Kumar, who died June 12, 2007.

“When such deaths occur, it is not only to the public at large that those holding custody are responsible, they are responsible also to the courts under whose orders they hold such custody,” the court said.

The court told the Delhi government to deposit Rs.6.4 lakh for Kumar’s widow as fixed deposit in a nationalized bank.

Kumar, 25, a sewage cleaner, was arrested for consuming liquor in public and for creating nuisance June 9, 2007.

“It was an admitted fact that Kumar was an alcoholic. That arduous, deplorable and undignified work as a sewage cleaner perhaps explains why Kumar had to take to drinking. It is not uncommon to find those working with sewage and with corpses in mortuaries to take to (liquor) to be able to cope with the repulsive and revolting nature of their work,” the court said.

Pulling up the government for not probing the death of Kumar, the court said: “Criminal liability for the death of Kumar is distinct and separate from the liability of the state for the death caused of an undertrial prisoner in judicial custody.

“It was for Tihar Jail authorities to have conducted a thorough inquiry to find out who was responsible for causing the numerous injuries to which Kumar was subject while he was in judicial custody,” the court said.

“A clear case of violation of the fundamental right of Kumar has been made out,” the court said.