{
 "record_id": "CW-1998-0008",
 "status": "current",
 "merged_id": "CWC-0873",
 "alias_merged_ids": [],
 "display_title": "B.K. Pandey, Vth Additional District & Sessions Judge vs A. Natrajan, Superintendent of Police and Others",
 "display_title_redacted": "B.K. Pandey, Vth Additional District & Sessions Judge vs A. Natrajan, Superintendent of Police and Others",
 "state": "Bihar",
 "district": "Bhagalpur",
 "district_at_time": null,
 "city_town": "Bhagalpur",
 "police_station_or_unit": "Kotwali Police Station and other Bhagalpur units",
 "court": "Patna High Court",
 "court_as_verified": "Patna High Court",
 "bench": null,
 "case_title": "B.K. Pandey, Vth Additional District & Sessions Judge vs A. Natrajan, Superintendent of Police and Others",
 "case_number": "Criminal contempt proceeding (with C.W.J.C. No. 10625 of 1997)",
 "citation": "1998(1) PLJR 650; 1998(2) BLJR 1125",
 "judges": [
  "N.N. Singh",
  "N. Pandey"
 ],
 "judgment_date": "1998-02-10",
 "date_precision": "day",
 "judgment_year": 1998,
 "incident_date": "1997-11-18",
 "incident_year": 1997,
 "category": "Other",
 "admin_category": "misconduct",
 "admin_subcategory": "other",
 "subcategory": "other",
 "subcategory_display": "other",
 "protest_override_heuristic": false,
 "outcome_type": "conviction_by_hc",
 "sections": [
  "Contempt of Courts Act 1971 s.15",
  "Contempt of Courts Act 1971 s.17"
 ],
 "officers": [
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Officer-in-Charge",
   "unit": "Kotwali Police Station, Bhagalpur",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
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   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Officer-in-Charge, Kotwali Police Station, Bhagalpur"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Sub-Inspector",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
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   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
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   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Sub-Inspector",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": null,
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Sub-Inspector",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": null,
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Sub-Inspector",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": null,
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Sub-Inspector",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": null,
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Assistant Sub-Inspector",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": null,
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Assistant Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Station House Officer",
   "unit": "Harijan Police Station, Bhagalpur",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
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   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Station House Officer, Harijan Police Station, Bhagalpur"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Sergeant Major",
   "unit": "Bhagalpur Police",
   "role": "convicted",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "ledger:no_row",
    "key2:no_row"
   ],
   "ledger_role": null,
   "key2": null,
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": null,
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": null,
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": null,
   "jev_risk": null,
   "jev_p_culpable": null,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": null,
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Sergeant Major, Bhagalpur Police"
  }
 ],
 "officer_count": 9,
 "victims": [
  {
   "age": null,
   "gender": "male",
   "name": null,
   "descriptor": "Bhagalpur man"
  },
  {
   "age": null,
   "gender": "male",
   "name": null,
   "descriptor": "Bhagalpur man"
  },
  {
   "age": null,
   "gender": "male",
   "name": null,
   "descriptor": "Bhagalpur man"
  }
 ],
 "victims_redacted": null,
 "anonymised": false,
 "victim_count": 3,
 "sentence_type": "imprisonment",
 "sentence_max_years": 0.25,
 "compensation_inr": null,
 "force": "state_police",
 "primary_source_url": "https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1205548/",
 "secondary_sources": [
  "https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/747908/bk-pandey-vth-additional-district-and-sessions-judge-and/"
 ],
 "summary": "The judgment of the Patna High Court records the following account. On 18 November 1997, aggrieved by the arrest of a fellow Sub-Inspector, a group of Bhagalpur policemen attacked the 1st Additional District Judge inside his courtroom and chambers. The Patna High Court held that nine identified police officials, led by ringleader [name withheld], were guilty of criminal contempt on the affidavits, identification evidence and the DGP's inquiry report. The court rejected their apologies as undeserved given the gravity of assaulting a judge, sentencing Choudhary to three months' simple imprisonment and the other eight to two months each. It directed the State to secure the civil courts and left departmental, commission and criminal proceedings unaffected. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.",
 "summary_verified": "On 18 November 1997, aggrieved by the arrest of a fellow Sub-Inspector, a group of Bhagalpur policemen attacked the 1st Additional District Judge inside his courtroom and chambers. The Patna High Court held that nine identified police officials, led by ringleader [name withheld], were guilty of criminal contempt on the affidavits, identification evidence and the DGP's inquiry report. The court rejected their apologies as undeserved given the gravity of assaulting a judge, sentencing Choudhary to three months' simple imprisonment and the other eight to two months each. It directed the State to secure the civil courts and left departmental, commission and criminal proceedings unaffected.",
 "court_quote": "Since Shri [name withheld] (opposite party No. 3) has acted as 'ring leader' of the contemners in the entire incident and planned the episode with a view to humiliate and assault the A.D.J. 1st (a Bhagalpur man), he deserves a severe punishment.",
 "court_quote_para": "46",
 "confidence": "high",
 "verdict": "accept",
 "verdict_note": "Patna HC convicted 9 Bhagalpur policemen of criminal contempt for the 18.11.1997 courtroom attack on the ADJ.",
 "verification_status": "V2",
 "verification_badge": "V2 · Externally reported",
 "tier_badge": "Externally reported",
 "tier": "Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded",
 "tier_history": [
  "Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded"
 ],
 "allegations": [
  {
   "category": "Other",
   "primary": true,
   "position": "Material fact supported",
   "position_explainer": "Reliable material supports a specifically documented fact relevant to that allegation, not necessarily the full allegation, causation, intent, unlawfulness, or responsibility.",
   "official_finding_relation": "supports allegation"
  }
 ],
 "institutional_response": [
  {
   "date": "1998-02-10",
   "action_type": "Order issued",
   "status": "Concluded",
   "authority": "Patna High Court",
   "independence": "External",
   "legal_effect": "Binding",
   "description": "The Patna High Court entered convictions against police personnel in this judgment.",
   "disposition": "Conviction · Supports allegation",
   "source": "1998(1) PLJR 650; 1998(2) BLJR 1125",
   "recheck": "Not yet re-checked."
  }
 ],
 "later_proceedings": [],
 "final_outcome_url": null,
 "followup_history": [
  {
   "date": "2026-09-19",
   "scope": "Round-8 full re-verification: published record re-checked against the judgment text (outcome, officers, quote, key facts) plus methodology-compliance pass",
   "method": "skills-guided adversarial re-verification of the published record against the judgment text (reverify/t1-*/adversarial-8.jsonl)",
   "result": "holds",
   "corrections_applied": []
  }
 ],
 "followup_status": "checked",
 "last_checked": "2026-09-19",
 "link_checked_per_url": [
  {
   "url": "https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1205548/",
   "link_checked": null
  },
  {
   "url": "https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/747908/bk-pandey-vth-additional-district-and-sessions-judge-and/",
   "link_checked": null
  }
 ],
 "source_assessment": {
  "established": null,
  "basis": null
 },
 "v3_basis": null,
 "publication_basis": null,
 "reviews": [],
 "retracted": {
  "is_retracted": false
 },
 "fidelity_checked": true,
 "verified_by": [
  "chunk-72"
 ],
 "merged_case_id": "GAP2-45-003",
 "officers_named_public": 0,
 "record_flag": null,
 "service": "police",
 "watch": "babuwatch"
}