KOCHI: The state government on Thursday approached the Kerala High Court seeking to vacate the stay for the proceedings initiated by the government based on the directive of the Kerala State Police Complaints Authority (KSPCA) to investigate the alleged custodial death of Sreejeev, Parassala.
The KSPCA had also ordered the government to give a compensation of `10 lakh to the legal heirs of the victim and asked it to recover the amount from the errant police officers at the Parassala police station.
Sreejeev was allegedly taken into custody by the Parassala police on May 20, 2014, and he died the next day. The KSPCA found the police version Sreejeev died after consuming ‘Furadan’ was to cover up the brutal assault under custody. The High Court had stayed the order on September 4, 2016, on the petition filed by B Gopakumar, the then Circle Inspector of Parassala police station, seeking to quash the KSPCA order.
In the counter affidavit, the state government submitted this was a case where allegations have been raised against the members of the Kerala Police Force. Hence, the state government found it just and reasonable to transfer the investigation to the CBI. The KSPCA had found the custodial death of the youth was due to police torture. The court cannot interfere in such a finding based on facts, it stated. The state also submitted further action on the police officer allegedly involved in the case could not be initiated owing to the interim order passed by the court and, hence, it should be vacated.