In a landmark order, the State Police Complaints Authority on Thursday directed the State government to pay ₹1.5 lakh to a woman who had lost a gold ornament worth ₹1 lakh allegedly during a Vigilance raid at her residence three years ago.
Delivering the order, K. Narayana Kurup, chairman of the authority, said the petitioner should be given a compensation of ₹1.25 lakh (one lakh being the ornament’s value and 25,000 towards physical and mental agony of the petitioner). Besides, the government is also required to pay an additional sum of ₹25,000 as cost of the present proceedings within three months.
The State will be at liberty to recover the said sum from the respondent and his team of police officers who had conducted the search.
The petitioner, Sarabhai R.K, a resident of Taliparamba, approached the authority against C.T. Tom, then Dy.SP, VACB special cell in Kozhikode, stating that a team led by him had seized a ‘karimanimala’ worth ₹1 lakh and a rolled gold chain worth ₹200 during the raid on January 16, 2014,. However, they neither included them in the search list nor returned them along with other seized articles.
The order also said that the State should be as much liable for tortuous acts committed by its servants.
