BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday directed the Government to put into place within six months the mechanism for setting up a State Human Rights Commission.

The court gave this direction following a petition by a person seeking compensation of Rs. 5 lakh from the State for illegally detaining him in jail even after he was ordered to be released.

Taking the State and its authorities to task for their irresponsible attitude, the court levied costs of Rs. 10,000 on the State and awarded compensation of Rs. 3 lakh to the petitioner. The court, on Wednesday last, had taken a dim view of the alleged detention of a person in jail even after his release, and imposed costs of Rs. 1,000 each on the Home Secretary and the Director-General and Inspector-General of Police for their carelessness in not making available to the court records pertaining to the prisoner.

The petitioner P. Hanumanthappa had said that he was a labourer and that he belonged to a Scheduled Caste. He said that he was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Shimoga court on January 14, 1987 and was shifted to Bangalore Central Jail on January 17. On September 2, 1998 he gave a representation to the authorities for remission of the sentence, Hanumanthappa said. On September 4, he along with 137 others were recommended for release.

He said some of the prison officials had demanded bribe to let him free and detained him in jail till September 22.

He had moved the court for compensation of Rs. 5 lakh and a judicial inquiry into the issue.

Justice D.V. Shylendra Kumar, in his order, directed payment of Rs. 3 lakh as compensation and asked the State to pay it within six months from Tuesday failing which it would have to pay an interest of 10 per cent.

He noted that though other States had human rights commission, Karnataka did not have a body to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

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