The Madras High Court has awarded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to a woman of Padalur village in Perambalur district, whose husband died while in police custody, in 1995.
A division bench of Justices Elipe Dharma Rao and N Kirubakaran, which ordered the compensation, also transferred further investigation into the death to the CBI.
The amount should be paid to the woman by the State government within six weeks.
After paying the amount, the State could recover Rs 2 lakh from the salary of Gandhi, the then inspector attached to Padalur police station and Rs 1 lakh each from constable Anbarau and driver Ravi and another constable Chinnadurai (since died).
The bench was allowing a writ appeal from Anjalam, whose husband Pandian was picked up by Gandhi and his team in connection with a kidnap case in August, 1995. However, his body was found hanging from a neem tree at Kilumathur village on August 4, 1995. The police built up a story of suicide and closed the matter.
The bench held that Panidan’s death was not a case of suicide. The police party was answerable to the murder, it added.