# The State v. Howrah Police Inspector

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0004)

## Report card

By judgment dated 14 May 1990 in Criminal Appeal u/s 378(1) CrPC with Criminal Revision (vs Addl. Sessions Judge, 3rd Court, Howrah order dated 20.08.1985), the Calcutta High Court (Coram: Ajit K. Sengupta, J.) recorded the conviction of 3 police personnel, namely: Inspector, Golabari PS, Howrah; Sub-Inspector, Golabari PS, Howrah; Constable, Golabari PS, Howrah.

- Register number: WB 11 CW 0002
- Case reference: Criminal Appeal u/s 378(1) CrPC with Criminal Revision (vs Addl. Sessions Judge, 3rd Court, Howrah order dated 20.08.1985) / 1990 Cri LJ 2093
- Court and date: Calcutta High Court (Coram: Ajit K. Sengupta, J.), 14 May 1990
- Officer(s) at the material time: Inspector, Golabari PS, Howrah; Sub-Inspector, Golabari PS, Howrah; Constable, Golabari PS, Howrah
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 304 Part II/34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “This case demonstrates the extent of inhuman torture and degrading treatment meted to a prisoner in police lock-up resulting in his illegal or extra-judicial execution.” (at para 2)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction entered by High Court. Sentence: imprisonment and fine; maximum substantive term of 7 years.
- 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/1676166/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1990-0004)

**Record:** CW-1990-0004 (compiler id CWC-0459); case SWCUSTOD-032
**Title:** The State v. Howrah Police Inspector
**Court:** Calcutta High Court; judges: Ajit K. Sengupta
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Appeal u/s 378(1) CrPC with Criminal Revision (vs Addl. Sessions Judge, 3rd Court, Howrah order dated 20.08.1985) / 1990 Cri LJ 2093
**Judgment:** 1990-05-14 (1990, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1980-02-26 (1980)
**Place:** Howrah, West Bengal; city town: Howrah; police station or unit: Golabari PS; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Conviction entered by High Court (conviction_by_hc)
**Sections:** IPC 304 Part II/34
**Officers (gated display forms):** Inspector, Golabari PS, Howrah; Sub-Inspector, Golabari PS, Howrah; Constable, Golabari PS, Howrah (3 in record)
**Victims:** Howrah man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** mixed; max 7 yrs
**Sentence type:** mixed (mixed)

The Calcutta High Court allowed the State appeal and complainant revision against the 1985 acquittals and convicted an Inspector, Sub-Inspector and Constable of Golabari PS for beating railway employee a Howrah man to death in custody on 26 February 1980. The Court held the assault was made to extort a confession, rejecting the alibi and fall-from-roof defence on eyewitness and medical evidence of ruptured kidney and liver. It sentenced two officers to 7 years RI and one to 5 years RI with fines payable to the complainant, affirming the fourth accused's acquittal. The judgment records the torture as an illegal extra-judicial execution in the lock-up. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> This case demonstrates the extent of inhuman torture and degrading treatment meted to a prisoner in police lock-up resulting in his illegal or extra-judicial execution.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1676166/); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1149295/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** custodial_death
**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'}
**anonymised:** False
**court quote para:** 2
**display title redacted:** The State v. Howrah Police Inspector
**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
**institutional response:** {'date': '1990-05-14', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Calcutta High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Calcutta High Court entered convictions against police personnel in this judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': '1990 Cri LJ 2093', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1676166/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1149295/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** custodial death
**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:** HC set aside acquittals and convicted 3 Golabari PS policemen u/s 304-II/34.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction entered by High Court.

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