# Bhagwan Singh and Another v. State of Punjab; Uttam Chand v. State of Punjab

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0006](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0006)

## Report card

By judgment dated 8 May 1992 in Criminal Appeal Nos. 388 and 666 of 1981, the Supreme Court of India (Coram: K. Jayachandra Reddy, R. C. Patnaik, JJ.) affirmed the conviction of 4 police personnel, namely: Bhagwan Singh (Head Constable); Mukhtiar Singh (Head Constable); Uttam Chand (Constable); Joginder Singh (Assistant Sub-Inspector).

- Register number: PB 02 CW 0001
- Case reference: Criminal Appeal Nos. 388 and 666 of 1981 / 1992 SCC (3) 249; AIR 1992 SC 1689
- Court and date: Supreme Court of India (Coram: K. Jayachandra Reddy, R. C. Patnaik, JJ.), 8 May 1992
- Officer(s) at the material time: Bhagwan Singh (Head Constable); Mukhtiar Singh (Head Constable); Uttam Chand (Constable); Joginder Singh (Assistant Sub-Inspector)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 365 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “Torturing a person and using third degree methods are of medieval nature and they are barbaric and contrary to law.” (at para n/a)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction upheld. Sentence: imprisonment and fine.
- 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://www.advocatekhoj.com/library/judgments/index.php?go=1992/may/bhagwan-singh-anr-vs-state-of-punjab-7); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0006)

**Record:** CW-1992-0006 (compiler id CWC-0341); case SUPREM-026; aliases: CWC-0591
**Title:** Bhagwan Singh and Another v. State of Punjab; Uttam Chand v. State of Punjab
**Court:** Supreme Court of India; judges: K. Jayachandra Reddy; R. C. Patnaik
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Appeal Nos. 388 and 666 of 1981 / 1992 SCC (3) 249; AIR 1992 SC 1689
**Judgment:** 1992-05-08 (1992, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1978-08-06 (1978)
**Place:** Amritsar, Punjab; city town: Amritsar; police station or unit: CIA Staff, Amritsar; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Conviction upheld (conviction_upheld)
**Sections:** IPC 302; IPC 34; IPC 201; IPC 325; IPC 323; IPC 365
**Officers (gated display forms):** Bhagwan Singh (Head Constable); Mukhtiar Singh (Head Constable); Uttam Chand (Constable); Joginder Singh (Assistant Sub-Inspector) (4 in record)
**Victims:** Amritsar resident; Amritsar resident; Amritsar resident; Amritsar resident (4 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** mixed
**Sentence type:** mixed (mixed)

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals of Amritsar CIA Staff policemen and upheld the High Court's convictions for abducting a narcotics suspect and three witnesses from a hotel on 6 August 1978, torturing them in the CIA Staff Room, murdering the suspect and disposing of his body so it was never recovered. The Court held that the trial court's near-acquittal was rightly reversed on the State's appeal, sustaining murder convictions against the ASI (whose appeal later abated on his death) and two Head Constables, and convictions under sections 201, 365, 325/34 and 323/34 against all four. The Court found the circumstances led to an irresistible inference that the policemen who caused the death also caused the disappearance of the body. Sentences, including life terms and a fine payable to the widow, were to run concurrently. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Torturing a person and using third degree methods are of medieval nature and they are barbaric and contrary to law.

**Sources (3):** [advocatekhoj.com](https://www.advocatekhoj.com/library/judgments/index.php?go=1992/may/bhagwan-singh-anr-vs-state-of-punjab-7); [casemine.com](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5609ac6ee4b014971140edbe); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/654412/)
**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:** n/a
**display title redacted:** Bhagwan Singh and Another v. State of Punjab; Uttam Chand v. State of Punjab
**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': None, 'action_type': 'Conviction', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Trial court (as recorded in the Supreme Court of India judgment)', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The trial court convicted the accused police personnel, as recorded in the Supreme Court of India judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': '1992 SCC (3) 249; AIR 1992 SC 1689', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}; {'date': '1992-05-08', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Supreme Court of India', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Supreme Court of India dismissed the appeal and upheld the convictions of police personnel.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation (appellate affirmance; trial conviction separate card)', 'source': '1992 SCC (3) 249; AIR 1992 SC 1689', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.advocatekhoj.com/library/judgments/index.php?go=1992/may/bhagwan-singh-anr-vs-state-of-punjab-7', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5609ac6ee4b014971140edbe', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/654412/', '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:** SC dismissed appeals; upheld HC murder/evidence-destruction convictions of CIA Staff police; recategorised custodial_death.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction upheld.

[Open CW-1992-0006](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0006)