Kochi: The state government has filed an appeal against the court order seeking compensation for the molestation of a girl by a pink police officer in Attingal. The state government has approached the division bench against the single bench order of the high court to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation to the girl.
The appeal states that the government cannot be held liable for personal offenses committed by officials. The appeal states that the government cannot pay compensation in the case of a pink police officer who molested a girl and that it is only the officer’s fault.
Recently, there have been several similar complaints against the police in the state. The government’s assessment is that a similar order in all such cases would be detrimental in the future. Following this, the division bench appealed against the single bench order.
The girl and her father had approached the high court seeking compensation for the incident in which a pink police officer publicly insulted them for allegedly being thieves. The girl demanded Rs 50 lakh as compensation. Following the hearing, Justice Devan Ramachandran ordered the state government to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation. The court also directed to set aside Rs 25,000 as court costs.
Meanwhile, the girl’s father Jayachandran told Mathrubhumi News that he was saddened by the government’s appeal against the single bench order. He also asked why the government had hired them if they could not pay compensation for the crimes committed by government employees.