BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday castigated the Koppal police for handcuffing and chaining three residents of Koppal in 1998 and imposed costs of Rs. 15,000 on the Police Department.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Chidananda Ullal and Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri said the Supreme Court had laid down norms on how people should be handcuffed and under what circumstances they should be chained and handcuffed.

The Bench expressed displeasure over the manner in which the Koppal police handcuffed three persons and upheld a single judge order that had ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the issue and also accepted the inquiry report.

The single judge had earlier asked the Superintendent of Police, Koppal, to investigate the incident.

The Superintendent of Police had submitted a report and the single judge had chosen to not take note of it and referred the matter to the CBI.

The case of the petitioners was that they were handcuffed and chained and made to run behind the police van to which they were chained.

The Bench said 17 witnesses had testified to the handcuffing of the petitioners. It said an individual remained a human being notwithstanding his arrest. It said even a person arrested was entitled to minimum human rights such as freedom from indignity like nudity, semi-nudity and other police vulgarities.

It said the person was entitled to Constitutional protection against human degradation whether he was a convict, undertrial or prisoner. When the Police Manual prescribed the circumstances and manner in which a person should be handcuffed or chained, it should be complied with and adhered to. The Bench directed the police to pay compensation Rs. 5,000 to each of the petitioners.

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