JUDGMENT

Prathiba M. Singh, J. - Brief Facts

1. The present writ petition has been filed by the Petitioner-Shri Tarun Preet Singh-who is one of the victims in the unfortunate Connaught Place shootout (hereinafter referred as 'Incident '), which took place on 31st March 1997.

2. The Petitioner and his two friends, Shri Pradeep Goyal and Shri Jagjit Singh, were travelling in a car and had stopped at Barakhamba Road, near Connaught Place (hereinafter referred as 'CP ') when a shootout involving the Delhi Police, took place. When the three friends were taken to Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (hereinafter referred as 'RML'), the two friends of the Petitioner were declared brought dead. The Petitioner was injured. An FIR being FIR No.453/97 under Sections 302/34 IPC, was registered on the very next day and the Chargesheet No.7/97, dated 2nd April, 1997, was also filed. The Petitioner was discharged from RML on 15th April, 1997. The present writ petition was filed in December, 1998, seeking compensation of Rs.1 crore.

3. In this writ petition, vide order dated 10th December, 1999, an ad-hoc compensation of Rs.1 lakh was awarded to the Petitioner. The said order reads as under:

'This petition has been filed by Shri Tarun Preet Singh who suffered serious injuries during an encounter by the police party at the Red Light Signal, Barakhamba Road Crossing. It is pleaded that Shri Tarun Preet Singh suffered serious injuries as a result of indiscriminate firing by the Police Personnel without any provocation. The petitioner was not involved in any criminal activities and is still suffering serious disabilities. The petitioner has claimed compensation of Rs. 1 crore. Notice in the petition was issued as far back as on December 18,1998 and the respondents have not filed any affidavits so far. The respondents shall now file reply affidavit within four weeks with advance copy to learned counsel for petitioner who may file rejoinder, if any, within two weeks thereafter. In the meanwhile respondent No.2 shall give an ad hoc compensation in the sum of Rs. 1 lac to the petitioner within one week from today which shall be subject to the respective contentions of the parties. '

4. The trial pursuant to Chargesheet No.7/97 concluded on 16th October, 2007, and 10 police officials were convicted. They were sentenced to life imprisonment on 24th October, 2007. This conviction was upheld by the High Court on 18th September, 2009 and by the Supreme Court, vide judgment dated 2nd May, 2011 in Satyavir Singh Rathi Assistant Commissioner of Police and Others v. State through CBI, (2011) 6 SCC 1.

5. The families of the two other deceased had also filed writ petitions seeking compensation, being W.P.(C) 4756/1997 titled Neema Goyal v. Union of India & Anr. and W.P.(C) 5405/1997 titled Jaspal Kaur v. Union of India & Anr. In these cases, a ld. Single Judge of this Court had, vide a detailed common judgment dated 4th July, 2011, granted compensation to each of the deceased's families, to the tune of Rs.15 lakhs in the following terms:

'33. The writ petitions are disposed of with the following directions:

(i) The Respondents will within a period of six weeks from today deposit in this Court, by a cheque or draft in the name of the Registrar General, a sum of Rs.15 lakhs being the compensation amount payable to the Petitioner Neema Goyal and her son Naman Goyal. Of the said amount a sum of Rs.7,50,000 will be paid to Neema Goyal by the Registrar General on proper identification, within a period of one week thereafter. The balance amount of Rs.7,50,000 will be placed in a fixed deposit with a nationalised bank in the name of Naman Goyal. After he attains majority, Naman Goyal can withdraw the amount in the fixed deposit together with the interest accrued thereon.

(ii) The Respondents will within a period of six weeks from today deposit in this Court, by a cheque or draft in the name of the Registrar General, a sum of Rs. 15 lakhs being the compensation amount payable to the Pe