# Narmadapuram Man and Others v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0003)

## Report card

By judgment dated 2 May 1990, the Supreme Court of India (Coram: S. R. Pandian, K. Jayachandra Reddy, JJ.) adjudicated the matter concerning the accused police personnel.

- Register number: MP 00 CW 0001
- Case reference: (1990) 3 SCC 119; 1990 SCR (2) 871
- Court and date: Supreme Court of India (Coram: S. R. Pandian, K. Jayachandra Reddy, JJ.), 2 May 1990
- Officer(s) at the material time: Not identified in the cited sources (Madhya Pradesh Police (court escort party))
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It is most painful to note that the petitioners 1 and 2 who staged a 'dharna' for public cause and voluntarily submitted themselves for arrest and who had no tendency to escape had been subjected to humiliation by being handcuffed …” (at para n/a)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding.
- Present status of the proceedings: No further proceedings are recorded in the cited sources; the judgment is the concluded position shown.
- Source orders: [Judgment / order (primary source)](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1745823/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0003)

**Record:** CW-1990-0003 (compiler id CWC-0513); case SWDISPRO-006
**Title:** Narmadapuram Man and Others v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Others
**Court:** Supreme Court of India; judges: S. R. Pandian; K. Jayachandra Reddy
**Case number / citation:** (1990) 3 SCC 119; 1990 SCR (2) 871
**Judgment:** 1990-05-02 (1990, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1989-04-22 (1989)
**Place:** Narmadapuram, Madhya Pradesh (district at time: Hoshangabad); police station or unit: Madhya Pradesh Police (court escort party); force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** disproportionate force
**Outcome:** Adverse finding (adverse_finding)
**Officers (gated display forms):** None named (0 in record)
**Victims:** Narmadapuram man; Narmadapuram man (2 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** None ordered

The Supreme Court held the police escort party unjustly and unreasonably handcuffed petitioners 1 and 2, social workers of the Kisan Adivasi Sangathan convicted to one month simple imprisonment for a peaceful dharna, during transit to court on 22 April 1989, rejecting the escort justification under MP Police Regulation 465. The Court directed the Madhya Pradesh Government to take appropriate action against the erring escort party and to enquire into the petitioners detention beyond their sentence. Allegations of torture and abuse were held not proved, and no compensation was awarded by the Court.

> It is most painful to note that the petitioners 1 and 2 who staged a 'dharna' for public cause and voluntarily submitted themselves for arrest and who had no tendency to escape had been subjected to humiliation by being handcuffed which act of the escort party is against all norms of decency and which is in utter violation of the principle underlying Article 21 of the Constitution of India. So we strongly condemn this kind of conduct of the escort party arbitrarily and unreasonably humiliating the citizens of the country with obvious motive of pleasing 'some-one'.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1745823/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** misconduct
**admin subcategory:** disproportionate_force
**allegations:** {'category': 'Protest policing', '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'}
**anonymised:** False
**court quote para:** n/a
**display title redacted:** Narmadapuram Man and Others v. State of Madhya Pradesh and Others
**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': 'wrong_facts', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '1990-05-02', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Supreme Court of India', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Supreme Court of India recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered compensation in an amount stated in the judgment.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '(1990) 3 SCC 119; 1990 SCR (2) 871', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1745823/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** disproportionate force
**tier:** Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded
**tier badge:** Externally reported
**tier history:** Tier A — Externally reported or officially recorded
**verdict:** accept
**verdict note:** Unjust handcuffing held proved; action against escort party plus over-detention enquiry directed.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding.

[Open CW-1990-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0003)