Rayagada custodial death: Orissa HC directs police, CRPF to pay Rs 10 lakh compensation

Nearly 13 years after a man had allegedly died in police custody in Rayagada district, the Orissa High Court has directed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Odisha Police to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

A division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Murahari Sri Raman has directed both Odisha Police and CRPF to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the widow of Pidera Kadaiska.

As per reports, Kadaiska was picked by CRPF and police on suspicion of being a Maoist and taken to Chandrapur Police Station in Rayagada district in 2010. He allegedly succumbed to injuries due to third degree in the custody of the security forces on June 3, 2010.

The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Murahari Sri Raman said it is no coincidence that the deceased tribal, who was tortured to death after being labelled a Maoist with not even an iota of evidence, belonged to the poorer sections of the society.

Advocate, Akshaya Nayak said, “A case was registered and it was justified that the judgement that investigation and action is taken against the doctors if there is no coherence between the medical report and post-mortem report.”

The court ordered payment of the compensation of Rs 10 lakh by the CRPF and the Odisha State Police within a period of eight weeks and submission of an affidavit after nine weeks.

(Reported by Gautam Panda)