# Keelamangalam Man vs The State

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0010](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0010)

## Report card

By judgment dated 24 February 1992 in Crl.M.P. No. 15045 of 1989, the Madras High Court returned findings adverse to 4 police personnel, namely: Inspector, Keelamangalam Police Station; Superintendent of Police, Dharmapuri District; Inspector, Dharmapuri District; Sub-Inspector, Keelamangalam Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 20,000.

- Register number: TN 24 CW 0001
- Case reference: Crl.M.P. No. 15045 of 1989 / 1993 Cri LJ 3646
- Court and date: Madras High Court, 24 February 1992
- Officer(s) at the material time: Inspector, Keelamangalam Police Station; Superintendent of Police, Dharmapuri District; Inspector, Dharmapuri District; Sub-Inspector, Keelamangalam Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The State is bound to compensate the petitioner. It cannot evade its responsibility, on the ground, that the acts done by the officials were individual wrongs or misdeeds.” (at para 18-C)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 20,000.
- 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/524182/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0010)

**Record:** CW-1992-0010 (compiler id CWC-0826); case GAP2-37-006
**Title:** Keelamangalam Man vs The State
**Court:** Madras High Court
**Case number / citation:** Crl.M.P. No. 15045 of 1989 / 1993 Cri LJ 3646
**Judgment:** 1992-02-24 (1992, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1986-12-30 (1986)
**Place:** Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu (district at time: Dharmapuri); city town: Keelamangalam; police station or unit: Keelamangalam Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Other misconduct
**Sub-category:** dereliction evidence tampering
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 21; CrPC 173
**Officers (gated display forms):** Inspector, Keelamangalam Police Station; Superintendent of Police, Dharmapuri District; Inspector, Dharmapuri District; Sub-Inspector, Keelamangalam Police Station (4 in record)
**Victims:** Keelamangalam man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 20,000
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Madras High Court disposed of the petition of a Keelamangalam man, a primary-school teacher and accused No. 11 in Crime No. 156 of 1986, who remained under interim suspension for over six years because investigating officers never filed a final report and disobeyed two earlier High Court orders. The court recorded that Inspector retained the case diary for years, SP and Inspector failed to act, and SI closed a connected case, violating the petitioner's Article 21 rights. Holding the State bound to compensate, the court awarded Rs.20,000 payable within six weeks (recoverable from erring officials), vacated the stay and directed the charge-sheet within ten days, while dropping contempt. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> The State is bound to compensate the petitioner. It cannot evade its responsibility, on the ground, that the acts done by the officials were individual wrongs or misdeeds.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/524182/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** misconduct
**admin subcategory:** dereliction_evidence_tampering
**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'}
**anonymised:** False
**court quote para:** 18-C
**display title redacted:** Keelamangalam Man vs The State
**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': '1992-02-24', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Madras High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Madras High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 20,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '1993 Cri LJ 3646', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/524182/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** dereliction evidence tampering
**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:** Petition disposed; Rs.20,000 for 6-year investigative inaction violating Article 21; charge-sheet in 10 days.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-1992-0010](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1992-0010)