Pink Police Harassment: State Urges Kerala High Court To Let Concerned Officer Pay The Compensation Ordered By Single Judge

The State government argued before the Kerala High Court that the concerned pink police officer who harassed a minor girl and her father last year should pay the compensation ordered by the Single Judge. (Pink police is a special women protection squad of Kerala police).The said officer was found guilty of having harassed them in public gaze casting accusations of theft on the duo and the video of the incident had also garnered public attention. A Division Bench of Justice P.B. Suresh Kumar and Justice C.S. Sudha was hearing an appeal moved by the State against the order of Justice Devan Ramachandran whereby he had granted compensation under public remedy amounting to Rs. 1,50,000 to the petitioner and imposed a cost of Rs. 25,000 towards legal expenses. The State argued that the said officer should bear the compensation amount and contended that it was not obliged to pay the same since the incident did not transpire due to any lapse from its side. It was argued that the State cannot be held responsible for the acts of the pink police officer. The matter will be taken up after vacation for a detailed hearing. The 8-year-old petitioner who was allegedly falsely accused of stealing a mobile phone from a Civil Police Officer moved the Court seeking a directive to the State to take stringent action against the officer for infringing her fundamental rights. The petitioner and her father were waiting to witness the shipment of cargo containing machinery used for the construction of a tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center. Since the shipment attracted crowds, a police force, including a pink patrol squad, was deployed to control the crowd. The pink patrolling vehicle was parked three metres from her father's scooter. Feeling thirsty, the petitioner and her father went to a nearby shop for some drinking water. To their astonishment, the accused rushed to them, yelling at the duo to return her mobile phone, which according to her, was stealthily removed by them. The petitioner had also accused the Civil Police Officer of attempting to disrobe her and her father in the guise of a search. She argues that she was intentionally insulted and intimidated with an intent to humiliate her in front of the public. When they denied any involvement in the incident, she proceeded to humiliate them with 'coloured remarks' and 'disparaging comments'. Intimidated, the petitioner started crying out aloud. She saw a huge crowd gathering around her and this subjected her to fear, humiliation and grave mental agony. Meanwhile, a fellow police constable recovered the phone from accused officer Renjitha's bag which was kept in the patrolling vehicle itself. The petition also revealed that the officer's action left the child traumatised, requiring medical attention. She couldn't sleep or attend her online classes for around 2 weeks as per the plea.The Single Judge had sympathised with the plight of the child and ordered compensation to be borne by the State. The State appealed against this decision. Case Title: State of Kerala v. Devipriya & Ors.

Pink Police Harassment: State Urges Kerala High Court To Let Concerned Officer Pay The Compensation Ordered By Single Judge

Hannah M Varghese

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