Letter to BS: SC asks Kerala govt to pay compensation to ex-ISRO scientist

This refers to your news item “SC asks Kerala govt to pay Rs 5 mn to ex-ISRO scientist as compensation” (Sep 15). The highest court has rendered compensatory justice to the renowned scientist by awarding him a compensation of Rs 5 million, to be paid by the Kerala government, for the injustice and custodial torture suffered by him at the hands of the state police, in a 24-year old espionage case. Even after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a closure report in 1996, the then Kerala government acted vindictively, trying to reinvestigate the case by its police. 

The judgement also holds a mirror to the overzealous cops who investigated the case and to sections of the media, who went overboard when reporting the same. If the information disseminated by the media in such cases is not factually accurate, it would only cause irreparable harm to the reputation of the individuals being investigated, which no amount of monetary compensation can redress. One hopes the three-member committee constituted by the Supreme Court quickly completes its probe and the errant police officials are punished, which alone would ensure delivery of justice in the case.

V Jayaraman  Portland  US

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