POLICE/CUSTODIAL DEATH - 2004.pdf - Indian Social Institute

Prisoners too have rights, reminds HC (1)New Delhi , BLATANT HUMAN Rights abuses of undertrials has pricked judicial conscience. Somuch so that recently, the Delhi High Court took sUo motu action on the plight of womenundertrials and bailed out 13 of them in two days. In a petition before the Division Bench ofChief Justice B C Patel and Justice B D Ahmed, specific reference was made on the way peoplemisunderstand 'liberty' of undertrials languishing behind bars for no fault. What initiated thecourt was US citizen Pragnesh Desai’s case who has not been extradited to America. He hasaccused of fraudulently obtaining his finance Leona Swiderski’s money and property worth overUS $30 million. The New Jersey District Court had issued a warrant against him on May 5, 2003.Given the pendency of his extradition, the court criticised the Centre on creating impediments inDesai's extradition. C.J. Patel said The magistrate has completed the enquiry and the delay givesus an impression that you (Centre) are assisting him. No step is being taken even as thepetitioner is languishing in jail (Pioneer 21.3.04)24 th MarchBoy who played cop before Charles beaten up by police (1)New Delhi, March 23: Two Delhi police constables beat up an 18-year-old boy on Friday in theSunlight Colony area of Srinivaspuri. Rajan Sharma was picked up from a park, where he wasplaying with his friends, and taken to the Sunlight Colony police post. All along the road to thepolice station, the constables slapped and punched Rajan on the face and kicked him on theback. Two hours later when injured Rajan called up his friends from Jamghaat, a street childrentheatre group, the police realised its mistake and offered Rs 50 to Rajan to keep shut. BeforeFriday, March 19, anyone meeting 18-year-old Rajan was told by his friends how the talentedactor won many a heart with his sensitive portrayal of a police constable, who makes life difficultfor the children on the streets in Patripe Bachpan, the play. An actor, who has performed beforePrince Charles and has taken part in over 50 public performances of Patri Pe Bachpan — a playwhere he plays the police constable — Rajan was used to getting only accolades and praises andnot slaps and punches. (Asian Age 24.3.04)25 th MarchSuicide victim’s father drags CRPF to court (1)New Delhi: In a gross violation of human rights, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) did notpay a 19-year-old youth, Anil Kumar, his salary for a year, driving him to commit suicide in July2003. Kumar's father has now approached the Delhi High Court for justice. On Wednesday,Kanwar Singh requested the court of Justice Vijender Singh and Justice H R Malhotra to punishthose guilty of abetting the suicide. Singh has alleged that senior CRPF officials werebiased against his son. Singh has demanded Rs 20 lakh compensation from CRPF. When thecourt heard Singh's pleadings, it was "aghast" to learn the reasons which drove Kumar tocommit suicide. The Bench summoned the director general of CRPF and observed: "It isshocking that a 19-year-old has to commit suicide because of total apathy andinsensitiveness of the authorities." The court also held that if such an incident would havehappened in the normal course and not in a force, the offenders would have beenaccountable for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. It sealed the records of the inquirywhich CRPF conducted after Kumar’s suicide. (Times of India 25.3.04)30 th MarchConvict fights on 13 years after death sentence (1)New Delhi, March 29: More than 13 years after being sentenced to death, a man has earned areprieve as the Supreme Court has directed the West Bengal government to put up his mercypetition before the governor for fresh consideration. Dhananjoy Chatterjee alias Dhana wassentenced to death by a Kolkata sessions court in 1991 which convicted him for rape and murder.The high court and the top court rejected his appeals confirming the death sentence. He filed amercy petition before the governor in February 1994. That again was rejected. Appeal againstrejection of the mercy petition was rejected by the single judge bench of the high court.Undeterred, Dhananjoy Chatterjee filed a writ petition before a division bench of the high court