Madurai
Hearing an appeal of a policeman from Virudhunagar, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday said that he was entitled to a compensation of ₹five lakh for a false case foisted against him by a senior official.
It is said that the policeman, V. Kumaravel, was appointed as an SI in 1996. He claimed that he was transferred and posted to four police stations within a short span of time at the instance of the then Inspector of Police.
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Kumaravel went to the Camp Office of the Superintendent of Police to meet him regarding the issue. It is said that the policeman and the driver of the SP entered into a verbal duel when the former tried to meet the SP. It was also alleged that the policeman shouted at the SP. A charge memo was filed against the policeman subsequently.
Following the charge made against him, the policeman said that he was detained and subjected to humiliation. When the policeman filed a petition filed seeking compensation for the false case, the respondent submitted that the complaint was withdrawn and subsequently the charges were dropped. The petition was dismissed based on the submission.
The policeman preferred an appeal against the single bench order. A Division Bench of Justices S.S. Sundar and C. Saravanan observed that the complaint against him was unwarranted and it was intended for teaching a lesson for raising his voice against a senior officer. Pride and dignity of police officers could not be compromised unmindful of the evil consequences, the court said.
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The court said that taking into account the overall circumstances, the appellant was entitled to a compensation of ₹five lakh from the State, who, in turn, could fix the liability by proceeding against the then Inspector of Police departmentally, if it desired.