25 years after Connaught Place shooting in Delhi, victim awarded ₹15 lakh

Justice Pratibha S Singh of the Delhi high court ruled that the injury due to state action needs to be considered at “higher standard” as compared to ordinary cases of negligence and inaction.

Twenty-five years after a police shootout at Connaught Place (CP) on March 31, 1997, the Delhi high court has granted compensation of ₹15 lakhs to a victim of the incident, saying that the injury due to state action needs to be considered at “higher standard” as compared to ordinary cases of negligence and inaction.

Delhi's Connaught Place (Image used only for representation)

The man, Tarun Preet Singh, had moved court in 1998 seeking compensation of ₹1 crore after he was grievously injured in the shootout and continued to carry shrapnel in his body which caused a slight disability in his right hand.

According to Singh’s plea, he along with two of his friends were travelling in a car and had stopped at Barakhamba Road, near CP when a shootout involving the Delhi police, took place.

Two of the friends died in the incident and the petitioner sustained injuries.

Later, 10 police officials were convicted and awarded life imprisonment, a punishment that was upheld by the Supreme Court.

On April 26, while deciding the compensation plea, justice Prathiba M Singh said that the petitioner has lost his entire period of youth, being embroiled in proceedings relating to the incident as the matter remained pending for 25 years.

“Injury caused due to the state action and that too one, where the police officials were convicted of criminal offences and not some inaction or negligence, needs to be considered at a higher standard as compared to those of ordinary cases of negligence and inaction,” Justice Singh said.