Cuttack: Holding the jail authorities responsible for the death of an undertrial prisoner after assault by fellow inmates, Orissa high court has directed the state to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation to his widow and provide her a Group-D govt job on compassionate grounds.Justice Biraja Prasanna Satapathy, considering a petition filed by Sasi Behera, on Nov 4 directed govt to release Rs 10 lakh to her and deposit the remaining Rs 5 lakh in a fixed deposit in the name of the couple’s minor daughter, Swati, for six years. The entire exercise must be completed within two months of receipt of the order.The court’s judgment, uploaded on Nov 11, took note of an inquiry report which had attributed Charan Behera’s death to negligence by the jail authorities.Charan (40) was arrested by Bellaguntha police on July 11, 2023, in a theft case and remanded to judicial custody the same day. He was sent to Special Sub-Jail, Bhanjanagar, in Ganjam district around 9.30 am.However, four days into his incarceration, he was taken to the sub-divisional hospital at Bhanjanagar in a jail ambulance for treatment on July 15. The attending doctor declared him brought dead.Referring to the final report in the case, the court noted that Charan had sustained multiple internal and external injuries inflicted by other prisoners inside the jail, leading to his death.An inquiry conducted into the incident had also reached a definite conclusion that the jail authorities’ negligence had resulted in his death while in custody.“Since it is not disputed that the deceased while in custody died on 15.07.2023 because of the injuries inflicted on him by the co-convicts, this Court is inclined to allow the prayer made in the Writ Petition,” Justice Satapathy said.The court also took note of the family members left behind by the deceased — his elderly parents, wife and three minor children — while deciding the compensation claim.The court directed the state govt to appoint Sasi to a suitable Group-D post as a special case.Sasi had approached the high court seeking Rs 15 lakh compensation with 18% annual interest from the date of her husband’s death. While granting the compensation and employment relief, the court’s operative directions did not specifically award the interest sought.