Madras High Court: Inquire into custodial deaths, give compensation

Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the government to complete inquiry regarding custodial deaths expeditiously and issue compensation to the next of kin in four months.

When a suo moto plea initiated by the Madras high court based on Supreme Court direction, came up for hearing the principal secretary, to the home department filed a report. The suo moto mandated the state government to identify the next of kin of deceased prisoners, whose deaths from 2012 to 2015 and thereafter classified as unnatural by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), for the award of suitable compensation. The Supreme Court on September 15, 2017, directed all high courts to initiate such suo moto proceedings to identify and compensate the victims of custodial deaths.

The principal secretary, home department, has submitted a report before the first bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Abdul Quddhose stating that 157 cases of custodial deaths were reported in the state during 2012-16 and of which 134 have been concluded based on judicial magistrate reports and inquiry into 23 are yet to be concluded.

Recording the submissions, the bench said that the inquiry should be expeditiously concluded and if it is found that the next of kin are entitled to the compensation, the compensation shall be released at the earliest not later than four months. The bench posted the matter to June 8, for filing status report.