MUMBAI, January 16: The Bombay High Court has directed the state government to pay Rs 1,50,000 as compensation to Solgabai Pawar whose husband died in police custody at Shahpur in Thane district last June.The amount is to be paid as three fixed-term deposits of Rs 50,000 each in the names of Solgabai, her daughter Sonam and son Sagar. The court has ruled that deposits in the names of the children will not be touched till they attain majority. Solgabai will receive the monthly interest from all three fixed deposits. The court has clarified that awarding of this compensation will not lessen the liability of the erring officials, including the police personnel involved in the custodial death. In fact, all the six accused have been suspended pending criminal trial and/or departmental inquiry instituted against them. The accused include sub-inspector B V Gaikwad, assistant sub-inspector Shantilal Kumavat, constable Bhagwan Nichite, tehsildar V C Patil and rural medical officers Dr J Nimbore and Dr J S Borkar. The state government has also been asked to pay Rs 10,000 as the cost of the petition to Solgabai.Solgabai's husband Sunil Bandu Bhonsale-Pawar, and two other accused, belonging to the Fasse Pardhi community, were remanded to Shahpur police custody on June 10, 1997. The police custody was later extended to June 21 as per orders of the Judicial Magistrate First Class. According to the petition filed by Solgabai, the three accused and their families were ill-treated by Shahpur police. Sub-inspector Gaikwad, constable Kumavat and other police officials interrogated the accused and used third-degree methods. As a result, Sunil Pawar died while in custody at 9.30 pm on June 16 last.Solgabai has alleged that Shahpur police hurriedly carried out a post-mortem and the tehsildar conducted an equally hurried inquest panchnama. They then informed Solgabai that her husband had committed suicide by strangulating himself with a floor mat. Unable to believe this, she refused to take possession of her husband's body. Solgabai complained against Shahpur police to the judicial magistrate. The magistrate ordered a second post-mortem. Meanwhile, the petitioner wrote to various authorities . She later filed a petition alleging the killing of her husband. She was represented by advocate Ajit Pitale. State DGP ordered a CID inquiry into the alleged murder. They examined contradictions between first and second post-mortem reports. It then filed an affidavit in the court confirming it was a custodial death.
