HC appoints former judge to probe 'custodial torture' of man

Taking serious note of alleged custodial torture of a 21-year-old man, the Madras High Court has appointed a former judge to inquire into the complaint and file a report on the causes of injury suffered by the prisoner.
A Division Bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and N Sathish Kumar passed the order on a habeas corpus petition moved by the man's mother Noor Sasha, a resident of Thanjavur.
According to the petitioner, her son Sheik Sahul Hameed was picked up by an inspector of Papanasam police station on August 26 without informing the grounds for arrest.
After they moved the Madurai bench of the high court, police informed that he was remanded in custody at the instance of an inspector of Kancheepuram police for alleged offences under various sections of IPC, she said in her petition.

"My son was beaten black and blue with lathis. There were visible injury marks all over his body and he was not provided food and water for several days. Without producing him in any court, police managed to secure a remand order on August 31 and he was taken to Puzhal prison," Noor Sasha submitted.
But the superintendent of Puzhal prison refused to remand Hameed in view of his injuries and instead admitted him to Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai.

When the issue was brought to the notice of the high court on September 11, it, after perusing the remand report and looking at the injuries suffered by the detenu, directed the state to transfer him from Stanley Hospital to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai on the expenses of the government.

On October 10, after perusing the interim summary report filed by Apollo Hospitals, the bench said, "A perusal of the report establishes that the detenu has suffered acute damage to his kidneys, besides having four fingers of each hand being amputated on account of spread of gangrene. The report, clearly, shows that the state of health of the detenu is poor, to say the least."
Considering the circumstances, the court appointed Justice (retired) Ramanathan to inquire into the matter and file a report to the court.
The bench then posted the plea to November 7 for further hearing.