The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the State government to pay Rs. 1 lakh compensation to B.V. Seetaram, Director and Chairman of Chitra Publications that publishes Kannada eveninger Karavali Ale from Mangaluru, for illegally detaining him for 15 days in 2009. Justice Anand Byarareddy passed the order while disposing of a petition, filed by Mr. Seetaram in 2009 March, claiming Rs. 50 lakh as compensation. While declining to pass order for granting higher compensation as sought by him, the court gave him liberty to approach the civil court as per law. The court came to the conclusion that Mr. Seetaram’s illegal detention was established as a Division Bench of the High Court in February 11, 2009 had found that he was kept under illegal detention between January 19 and February 2, 2009. He was arrested in connection with various criminal cases booked on the allegation of publishing an “inciting article” in the newspapers owned by his publication firm during 2008. Mr. Seetaram was released on February 3 after his wife had approached the High Court through a habeas corpus writ petition alleging illegal detention. Though the government had claimed that he could not be released from the prison after he was granted bail by the magistrate court as he had not executed personal bond, the High Court, in its February 2009 order, had found lapse on the part of authorities in releasing him from the prison, and had imposed a fine of Rs.10,000 on the State.

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