Khwaja kin to get `20 lakh
Almost nine years after the disappearance of Ghatkopar blast accused Khwaja Yunus from the custody of the Powai unit of Mumbai Police’s crime branch, his family will be getting a compensation of `20 lakh. The Bombay high court, on Tuesday, ordered the state to pay an additional `17 lakh over and above the `3 lakh compensation already paid to the family of the deceased.
The court ordered that the compensation amount should be paid initially by the state of Maharashtra to the petitioner within eight weeks from the date of the order. It would be then left open to the state of Maharashtra to recover the said amount and the expenses incurred towards investigation from the errant police officials.
The court also rejected the prayer to place certain police officers involved in the case under suspension and to prosecute them. Further, the petitioner would be free to pursue remedy of suit, for additional compensation, which would have to be decided on its own merit.
The division bench of Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice P.D. Kode, in its order on the petition filed by Yunus’ mother, observed, “The relief of direction to produce Sayed Khwaja Yunus Sayed Ayub cannot be taken forward, as, in law, he is presumed to be dead.”
The HC, however, made it clear that the judgment would not have a bearing in the trial pending against the officers — Sachin Vaze, Rajendra Tiwari, Sunil Desai and Rajaram Nikam. The case would have to be decided on its own merit in accordance with the law uninfluenced by the observations in this decision.
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