{
 "record_id": "CW-2024-0004",
 "status": "current",
 "merged_id": "CWC-0241",
 "alias_merged_ids": [
  "CWC-0950"
 ],
 "display_title": "Ramprasad Versova, Mumbai Man vs Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma and Anr.",
 "display_title_redacted": "Ramprasad Versova, Mumbai Man vs Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma and Anr.",
 "state": "Maharashtra",
 "district": "Mumbai Suburban",
 "district_at_time": null,
 "city_town": "Versova, Mumbai",
 "police_station_or_unit": "D.N. Nagar / Versova Police Stations",
 "court": "Bombay High Court",
 "court_as_verified": "Bombay High Court",
 "bench": null,
 "case_title": "Ramprasad Versova, Mumbai Man vs Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma and Anr.",
 "case_number": "Criminal Appeal Nos. 854 of 2013 and 350 of 2015 with connected appeals",
 "citation": "2024:BHC-AS:13217-DB; 2024 LiveLaw (Bom) 151",
 "judges": [
  "Revati Mohite Dere",
  "Gauri Godse"
 ],
 "judgment_date": "2024-03-19",
 "date_precision": "day",
 "judgment_year": 2024,
 "incident_date": "2006-11-11",
 "incident_year": 2006,
 "category": "Other",
 "admin_category": "brutality",
 "admin_subcategory": "fake_encounter_extrajudicial_killing",
 "subcategory": "fake_encounter_extrajudicial_killing",
 "subcategory_display": "fake encounter extrajudicial killing",
 "protest_override_heuristic": false,
 "outcome_type": "conviction_by_hc",
 "sections": [
  "IPC 120B",
  "IPC 302",
  "IPC 364",
  "IPC 365",
  "IPC 368",
  "IPC 344",
  "IPC 201",
  "IPC 119",
  "IPC 109",
  "IPC 34"
 ],
 "officers": [
  {
   "name": "Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma",
   "rank": "Police Inspector",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police (D.N. Nagar / Versova)",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.13,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.96,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma",
   "display": "Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma (Police Inspector)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape",
   "rank": "Assistant Police Inspector",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "D.N. Nagar Police Station, Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.17,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.89,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape",
   "display": "Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape (Assistant Police Inspector)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Sandip Hemraj Sardar",
   "rank": "Police Constable",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "D.N. Nagar Police Station, Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.14,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.9,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Sandip Hemraj Sardar",
   "display": "Sandip Hemraj Sardar (Police Constable)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai",
   "rank": "Police Constable",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.14,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.89,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai",
   "display": "Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai (Police Constable)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi",
   "rank": "Police Inspector",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "D.N. Nagar Police Station, Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.26,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.7,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi",
   "display": "Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi (Police Inspector)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Ratnakar Gautam Kamble",
   "rank": "Police Constable",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.24,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.8,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Ratnakar Gautam Kamble",
   "display": "Ratnakar Gautam Kamble (Police Constable)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde",
   "rank": "Police Constable",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.19,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.88,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde",
   "display": "Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde (Police Constable)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal",
   "rank": "Police Constable",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.21,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.86,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal",
   "display": "Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal (Police Constable)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Anand Balaji Patade",
   "rank": "Police Sub-Inspector",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.17,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.88,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Anand Balaji Patade",
   "display": "Anand Balaji Patade (Police Sub-Inspector)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Dilip Sitaram Palande",
   "rank": "Assistant Police Inspector",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.23,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.87,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Dilip Sitaram Palande",
   "display": "Dilip Sitaram Palande (Assistant Police Inspector)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Pandurang Ganpat Kokam",
   "rank": "Police Naik",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Versova Police Station, Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.16,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.89,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Pandurang Ganpat Kokam",
   "display": "Pandurang Ganpat Kokam (Police Naik)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Ganesh Ankush Harpude",
   "rank": "Police Sub-Inspector",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Versova Police Station, Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.21,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.84,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Ganesh Ankush Harpude",
   "display": "Ganesh Ankush Harpude (Police Sub-Inspector)"
  },
  {
   "name": "Prakash Ganpat Kadam",
   "rank": "Head Constable",
   "role": "convicted",
   "unit": "Mumbai Police",
   "publish_grade": "named_safe",
   "gate_reasons": [
    "key2_openrouter:unclear(overruled by grok)"
   ],
   "ledger_role": "convicted",
   "key2": "yes",
   "key2_agy": null,
   "key2_claude": null,
   "key2_union": "yes",
   "key2_gemapi": null,
   "key2_openrouter": "unclear",
   "key2_gpt56": null,
   "grok": "yes",
   "jev_risk": 0.21,
   "jev_p_culpable": 0.85,
   "key2_gpt": null,
   "later_outcome": "pending_appeal",
   "name_public": "Prakash Ganpat Kadam",
   "display": "Prakash Ganpat Kadam (Head Constable)"
  }
 ],
 "officer_count": 13,
 "victims": [
  {
   "name": null,
   "age": 33,
   "gender": "male",
   "descriptor": "Versova, Mumbai man, age 33"
  },
  {
   "name": null,
   "age": null,
   "gender": "male",
   "descriptor": "Versova, Mumbai man"
  }
 ],
 "victims_redacted": null,
 "anonymised": false,
 "victim_count": 2,
 "sentence_type": "imprisonment",
 "sentence_max_years": null,
 "compensation_inr": null,
 "force": "state_police",
 "primary_source_url": "https://indiankanoon.org/doc/86153079/",
 "secondary_sources": [
  "https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/bombay-high-court/bombay-high-court-mumbai-police-encounter-specialist-pradeep-sharma-acquittal-fake-encounter-case-lakhan-bhaiya-252769",
  "https://www.barandbench.com/news/bombay-high-court-overturns-acquittal-former-cop-pradeep-sharma-fake-encounter-case"
 ],
 "summary": "On 11 November 2006 a Mumbai Police squad led by encounter-specialist PI [name withheld] abducted Ramnarayan Gupta (Lakhan Bhaiya) and [name withheld] at Vashi, held them at Bhandup and D.N. Nagar police station, and shot Gupta dead in a staged encounter at Nana Nani Park, Versova, registering it as genuine (CR 302/2006). The trial court convicted 21 accused but acquitted Sharma; star witness [name withheld] was abducted and murdered in March 2011 before deposing. The Bombay High Court held the encounter fabricated on ballistic, CDR and false-record evidence, reversed Sharma's acquittal and sentenced him to life with concurrent terms, upheld the life sentences of 12 other policemen and one civilian, and acquitted six private accused for want of proof. Sharma's appeal was later admitted by the Supreme Court, which refused to suspend the conviction.",
 "summary_verified": "On 11 November 2006 a Mumbai Police squad led by encounter-specialist PI [name withheld] abducted Ramnarayan Gupta (Lakhan Bhaiya) and [name withheld] at Vashi, held them at Bhandup and D.N. Nagar police station, and shot Gupta dead in a staged encounter at Nana Nani Park, Versova, registering it as genuine (CR 302/2006). The trial court convicted 21 accused but acquitted Sharma; star witness [name withheld] was abducted and murdered in March 2011 before deposing. The Bombay High Court held the encounter fabricated on ballistic, CDR and false-record evidence, reversed Sharma's acquittal and sentenced him to life with concurrent terms, upheld the life sentences of 12 other policemen and one civilian, and acquitted six private accused for want of proof. Sharma's appeal was later admitted by the Supreme Court, which refused to suspend the conviction.",
 "court_quote": "We, in the facts, find that it is not possible to take any other view than the view taken by us, having regard to the overwhelming evidence adduced by the prosecution. Thus, the circumstances relied upon by the prosecution even qua OA1 form a chain, which is so complete and which unerringly points to the guilt of OA1 and excludes any hypothesis consistent with the innocence of the OA1.",
 "court_quote_para": "488-489",
 "confidence": "high",
 "verdict": "accept",
 "verdict_note": "Bombay HC convicted encounter-specialist Sharma (life) and upheld life terms of 12 other police in staged encounter.",
 "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": "2024-03-19",
   "action_type": "Order issued",
   "status": "Concluded",
   "authority": "Bombay High Court",
   "independence": "External",
   "legal_effect": "Binding",
   "description": "The Bombay High Court entered convictions against police personnel in this judgment.",
   "disposition": "Conviction · Supports allegation",
   "source": "2024:BHC-AS:13217-DB; 2024 LiveLaw (Bom) 151",
   "recheck": "Not yet re-checked."
  },
  {
   "date": "2024-04-08",
   "action_type": "Appeal pending",
   "status": "Pending",
   "authority": "Supreme Court of India",
   "independence": "External",
   "legal_effect": "Binding",
   "description": "As of 8 April 2024, an appeal arising from this judgment was pending before the Supreme Court of India (officers: Anand Balaji Patade, [name withheld], Devidas Gangaram Hari Sakpal, Dilip Sitaram Palande, Ganesh Ankush Harpude, Nitin Gorakhnath Sartape, Pandurang Ganpat Kokam, Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi, Pradeep Rameshwar Sharma, [name withheld], Prakash Ganpat Kadam, Ratnakar Gautam Kamble, Sandip Hemraj Sardar, Tanaji Bhausaheb Desai, Vinayak Balasaheb Shinde); the judgment's findings had not been set aside on that date.",
   "disposition": "Later proceeding · Appeal pending",
   "source": "https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/fake-encounter-case-supreme-court-exempts-ex-mumbai-cop-pradeep-sharma-from-surrender-till-next-hearing-date-admits-appeal-against-conviction-254611",
   "recheck": "Not yet re-checked."
  }
 ],
 "later_proceedings": [
  {
   "court": "Supreme Court of India",
   "date": "2024-04-08",
   "url": "https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/fake-encounter-case-supreme-court-exempts-ex-mumbai-cop-pradeep-sharma-from-surrender-till-next-hearing-date-admits-appeal-against-conviction-254611",
   "outcome": "pending_appeal"
  }
 ],
 "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": []
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-09-25",
   "scope": "Audit fix: duplicate record CW-2024-0033 (same court, case number and judgment date) merged into this record; its sources are kept here and its URL redirects here."
  }
 ],
 "followup_status": "checked",
 "last_checked": "2026-09-25",
 "link_checked_per_url": [
  {
   "url": "https://indiankanoon.org/doc/86153079/",
   "link_checked": null
  },
  {
   "url": "https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/bombay-high-court/bombay-high-court-mumbai-police-encounter-specialist-pradeep-sharma-acquittal-fake-encounter-case-lakhan-bhaiya-252769",
   "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-41"
 ],
 "merged_case_id": "SWFAKEEN-009",
 "officers_named_public": 13,
 "record_flag": null,
 "service": "police",
 "watch": "babuwatch"
}