The judge said the money should be deposited with it within six weeks which would be paid to the family members of Pradeep Goyal and Jagjit Singh, the slain businessmen.
Nearly 14 years after two businessmen were shot dead by 10 policemen in New Delhi in a fake encounter, the Delhi high court on Monday asked the Home Ministry and the city police to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation to family of each of the victims, saying there must be "zero tolerance" for criminal acts by men in uniform.
"It can hardly be a matter of debate that there must be zero tolerance for criminal behaviour by men in uniform entrusted with the task of law enforcement and the protection of the life and liberty of persons. Policemen must be held to the highest standards of probity and conduct," Justice S Muralidhar said.
"There can be no doubt as to the liability of the State to compensate the petitioners for the callous and wanton killing of the two unfortunate victims," the court said.
The judge said the money should be deposited with it within six weeks which would be paid to the family members of Pradeep Goyal and Jagjit Singh, the slain businessmen.
Goyal and Jagjit were killed in Connaught Place on the afternoon of March 31, 1997 by 10 policemen led by ACP S S Rathi of the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch of Delhi Police.
The third businessman Tarun Preet Singh, who was in the same car with the victims, also got injured in "wanton" shooting by policemen who were following Mohd Yaseen, alleged gangster, in connection with several criminal cases. Jagjit was mistaken by the cops as the criminal.
The court, which considered the Supreme Court verdict upholding the life imprisonment of the 10 policemen in the case, took strong exception to a provision of Delhi Police (Punishment and Appeal) Rules allowing a cop to remain in service even after his conviction as long as his appeal remains pending.
"It is expected that the proposed amendment ...will be carried out without delay," it said.
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