THE Delhi High Court's decision to award a compensation of Rs 5.62 lakh to Prempal, who was falsely implicated in as many as 18 cases by the Delhi police, would be shocking, were it not for the depressing fact that police high- handedness and criminality is anything but rare in this country.
The trifling sum, as well as the apology that the Delhi police commissioner Y. S. Dadwal must offer him, can hardly compensate for his ordeal which included harassment, torture and seven years in jail. That he was acquitted in 13 cases and convicted in five cases tells its own bitter- sweet story about the quality of our lower judiciary.
The High Court would do the public a great favour if it were to make the follow up of this case a special mission and ensure that the police officers responsible for so monstrously perverting justice are punished. The Delhi police may owe Mr Prempal some money and an apology, but it also owes an explanation for its conduct to the people of this city.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs which supervises the Delhi police, too, needs to look into the issue and take urgent measures to reverse the rot.
