The Hosdurg subordinate court has taken action by attaching the Scorpio SUV belonging to Kanhangad Regional Divisional Officer (RDO) to provide compensation to 75-year-old Mallakkara Kamalakshi. Kamalakshi had tragically lost her left eye due to a surgical mishap at a government hospital almost three decades ago, in 1995.
Subordinate Judge M C Biju initiated the attachment of the vehicle after the government failed to make any payments, despite a court decree in 2018. Even the High Court of Kerala rejected the government’s appeal in January of this year, reaffirming the need for compensation.
Despite the severity of Kamalakshi’s situation, the initial compensation ordered by the court in 2018 was a mere Rs 2.3 lakh, which, along with interest, has now grown to approximately Rs 8 lakh, according to her lawyer, Manoj Kumar K. Expressing frustration, he remarked, “The officials in the district could have initiated steps to implement the court order.”
However, instead of complying, the government and its officials chose to engage in a legal battle with Kamalakshi, who had previously worked as a cook at Islamia Aided Lower Primary School at Kadangod in Cheruvathur grama panchayat.
Advocate Manoj Kumar revealed that the court intends to put the Scorpio up for public auction to raise funds for Kamalakshi. “If we fall short, we will ask the court to attach another government vehicle,” he added.
In a recent development, the government offered an out-of-production Tata Spacio from the Health Department to the court as an alternative to making the payment. This 10-seater SUV, which was 19 years and four months old, was valued at Rs 30,000 by the Motor Vehicle Department. In response, the lawyer stated, “We told the court that it would be a waste of time to put the old SUV on auction.”
In contrast, the RDO’s Scorpio is only four years old, and its evaluation by the Motor Vehicle Department is scheduled for Monday, September 25. There remains an opportunity for the government to fulfill its financial obligation to Kamalakshi and avoid further legal complexities, according to her legal representative.
Post Your Comments