{
 "record_id": "CW-2026-0078",
 "status": "current",
 "merged_id": "CWC-1356",
 "alias_merged_ids": [],
 "display_title": "Mahasamund Man vs State of Chhattisgarh",
 "display_title_redacted": "Mahasamund Man vs State of Chhattisgarh",
 "state": "Chhattisgarh",
 "district": "Mahasamund",
 "district_at_time": null,
 "city_town": null,
 "police_station_or_unit": "District Jail, Mahasamund",
 "court": "High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur",
 "court_as_verified": "High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur",
 "bench": null,
 "case_title": "Mahasamund Man vs State of Chhattisgarh",
 "case_number": "WPCR No. 1 of 2025",
 "citation": "CGHC010003352025",
 "judges": [
  "[name withheld]",
  "[name withheld]"
 ],
 "judgment_date": "2026-08-19",
 "date_precision": "day",
 "judgment_year": 2026,
 "incident_date": null,
 "incident_year": null,
 "category": "Custodial death",
 "admin_category": "brutality",
 "admin_subcategory": "custodial_death",
 "subcategory": "custodial_death",
 "subcategory_display": "custodial death",
 "protest_override_heuristic": false,
 "outcome_type": "adverse_finding_compensation",
 "sections": [
  "Section 302 IPC"
 ],
 "officers": [
  {
   "name": null,
   "rank": "Assistant Jail Superintendent",
   "role": "named_in_finding",
   "unit": "District Jail, Mahasamund",
   "publish_grade": "unnamed",
   "name_public": null,
   "display": "Assistant Jail Superintendent, District Jail, Mahasamund"
  }
 ],
 "officer_count": 1,
 "victims": [
  {
   "name": null,
   "gender": "male",
   "descriptor": "Mahasamund man"
  }
 ],
 "victims_redacted": null,
 "anonymised": false,
 "victim_count": 1,
 "sentence_type": "compensation_only",
 "sentence_max_years": null,
 "compensation_inr": 750000,
 "force": "state_police",
 "primary_source_url": "https://indiankanoon.org/doc/55575265/",
 "secondary_sources": [],
 "summary": "The High Court took suo motu cognizance of a custodial death where an undertrial prisoner detained under Section 302 IPC died in District Jail, Mahasamund, with 35 injuries found on his body during postmortem. State counsel stated Rs 7,50,000 had already been paid on 20.09.2025 per Assistant Jail Superintendent letter dated 21.09.2025. The Court strongly criticized custodial violence as a blow to rule of law and directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to file personal affidavits explaining the circumstances, listing the case on 31.08.2026.",
 "summary_verified": "The High Court took suo motu cognizance of a custodial death where an undertrial prisoner detained under Section 302 IPC died in District Jail, Mahasamund, with 35 injuries found on his body during postmortem. State counsel stated Rs 7,50,000 had already been paid on 20.09.2025 per Assistant Jail Superintendent letter dated 21.09.2025. The Court strongly criticized custodial violence as a blow to rule of law and directed the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to file personal affidavits explaining the circumstances, listing the case on 31.08.2026.",
 "court_quote": "Custodial violence, including torture and death in the lock ups, strikes a blow at the Rule of Law, which demands that the powers of the executive should not only be derived from law but also that the same should be limited by law. Custodial violence is a matter of concern. It is aggravated by the fact that it is committed by persons who are supposed to be the protectors of the citizens.",
 "court_quote_para": "Order Sheet, page 2/3",
 "confidence": "medium",
 "verdict": "accept",
 "verdict_note": "incident_date 2025-09-20 is the compensation payment date (paid on 20.09.2025 per letter dated 21.09.2025), not the custodial death date; death date not stated in order excerpt; sections includes Section 176 CrPC which does not appear in source excerpt; only Section 302 IPC verified; officers claims Jail Superintendent held_liable; source names only Assistant Jail Superintendent (re compensation letter) and directs Chief Secretary and DGP to file personal affidavits; no liability finding against a named officer yet, matter listed to 31.08.2026; outcome_type adverse_finding_compensation overstates: Rs 7,50,000 noted as already paid, not ordered as compensation by this order",
 "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": "Custodial death",
   "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": "2026-08-19",
   "action_type": "Order issued",
   "status": "Concluded",
   "authority": "High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur",
   "independence": "External",
   "legal_effect": "Binding",
   "description": "The High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur recorded adverse findings against police personnel.",
   "disposition": "adverse finding compensation",
   "source": "CGHC010003352025",
   "recheck": "Not yet re-checked."
  }
 ],
 "later_proceedings": [],
 "final_outcome_url": null,
 "followup_history": [
  {
   "date": "2026-09-24",
   "scope": "Swarm scout and independent verification pass (Muse Spark)."
  }
 ],
 "followup_status": "checked",
 "last_checked": "2026-09-24",
 "link_checked_per_url": [
  {
   "url": "https://indiankanoon.org/doc/55575265/",
   "link_checked": null
  }
 ],
 "source_assessment": {
  "established": null,
  "basis": null
 },
 "v3_basis": null,
 "publication_basis": null,
 "reviews": [],
 "retracted": {
  "is_retracted": false
 },
 "fidelity_checked": false,
 "verified_by": [
  "swarm-verify-cop-ct-hc"
 ],
 "merged_case_id": "cop-ct-hc-0",
 "officers_named_public": 0,
 "record_flag": null,
 "service": "police",
 "watch": "babuwatch"
}