HC orders TN to grant ₹5L to disabled man who faced police torture

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to extend a compensation of Rs.5 lakhs to a Tiruppur-based disabled advocate as he was allegedly manhandled and verbally harassed by the Dharapuram Police.

The court further directed the DGP to sensitize the police force starting from the constable to officers at all levels in order to treat disabled people courteously.

A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice K Kumaresh Babu passed the direction on hearing a petition filed by advocate Muruganandam of Muthunagar, Dharapuram Taluk, Tiruppur district.

The petitioner sought a direction to the state government and police to provide a compensation of Rs.50 lakhs as the Dharapuram police Sub-Inspector Karthikeyan beat up and verbally abused the physically challenged advocate during an interrogation in a case which was filed on the basis of a false complaint.

As the petitioner was remanded in the case in 2020, after obtaining bail, he moved the State Human Rights Commission seeking action against the policemen who tortured him. The SHRC ordered the state police to grant Rs.1 lakh compensation to Muruganandam. However, Muruganandam approached the HC for a direction to provide Rs.50 lakh compensation and to make proper facilities for the physically challenged people at the prisons.

After hearing the submissions, the judges ordered Rs.5 lakhs compensation and directed the state to provide Rs.4 lakhs out of the Rs.5 lakhs. The bench asked the DGP to grant Rs.25,000 to the petitioner to compensate for the legal expenses of the petitioner.

“Appoint designated officers to ensure the CCTV facilities in all the police stations and to supervise the same, ” the bench ruled.