# Ropar Man vs State of Punjab and others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0003)

## Report card

By judgment dated 10 May 1996, the Supreme Court of India (Coram: Kuldip Singh, Faizan Uddin, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 5 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Punjab Police; Deputy Inspector General, Punjab Police, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 12 lakh (Rs 12,00,000).

- Register number: PB 12 CW 0001
- Case reference: 1996 SCC (4) 742; 1996 SCALE (4) 416
- Court and date: Supreme Court of India (Coram: Kuldip Singh, Faizan Uddin, JJ.), 10 May 1996
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Punjab Police; Deputy Inspector General, Punjab Police
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 364 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 193 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 194 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 211 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 218 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The abduction and murder of \[a man\] and his family was the most heinous crime against humanity.” (at para 2)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 12 lakh (Rs 12,00,000).
- 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/1512669/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0003)

**Record:** CW-1996-0003 (compiler id CWC-0774); case NORTH-005; aliases: CWC-0304
**Title:** Ropar Man vs State of Punjab and others
**Court:** Supreme Court of India; judges: Kuldip Singh; Faizan Uddin
**Case number / citation:** 1996 SCC (4) 742; 1996 SCALE (4) 416
**Judgment:** 1996-05-10 (1996, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1993-01-25 (1993)
**Place:** Rupnagar, Punjab (district at time: Ropar); city town: Ropar; police station or unit: Police Station City Ropar / Police Station Sadar Ropar; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** enforced disappearance
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 364; IPC 302; IPC 201; IPC 193; IPC 194; IPC 211; IPC 218
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Inspector, Ropar Police, Punjab Police; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Punjab Police; Deputy Inspector General, Punjab Police (5 in record)
**Victims:** Ropar man; Ropar woman; Ropar youngster, age 2; Ropar man (4 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 12 lakh (Rs 12,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

Advocate a man, his wife and two-year-old child vanished after driving to PS City Ropar on 25 January 1993 and were never found; Ropar police instead built the murder case against a man, who agreed under police pressure to own the killings to save his life. The CBI report commissioned by the Supreme Court proved beyond reasonable doubt that a man's confession was falsely recorded and the Bhakra Canal car recovery falsely shown, naming an SI, ASI, Inspector and DSP prima facie responsible for false implication under Sections 194, 211 and 218 IPC and indicting a DIG for lack of supervision. The Supreme Court ordered a man's immediate release with Rs. 2,00,000 compensation (recoverable from the officers personally on conviction) and Rs. 10,00,000 to the advocate's parents. It transferred the trial to Chandigarh, ordered sanction decisions within a month, suspension of the officers during trial, and left the abduction and murder charge to the trial court. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> The abduction and murder of \[a man\] and his family was the most heinous crime against humanity.

**Sources (4):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1512669/); [lawsathi.in](https://lawsathi.in/judgements/pdf/sc/1996/en/S_1996_2_787_795_EN.pdf); [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/680504/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-bar-association-appellant-hash-state-of-punjab-and-others-responde/); [casemine.com](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5609ad08e4b014971141052b)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** enforced_disappearance
**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:** True
**court quote para:** 2
**display title redacted:** Ropar Man vs State of Punjab 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': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '1996-05-10', '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 Rs 1,200,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '1996 SCC (4) 742; 1996 SCALE (4) 416', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1512669/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://lawsathi.in/judgements/pdf/sc/1996/en/S_1996_2_787_795_EN.pdf', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/680504/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-bar-association-appellant-hash-state-of-punjab-and-others-responde/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5609ad08e4b014971141052b', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** enforced disappearance
**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 held Ropar police falsely implicated Harpreet Singh (false confession, false recovery), ordering release, Rs 2 lakh to him and Rs 10 lakh to advocate's parents.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**victims redacted:** {'age': None, 'gender': 'male', 'descriptor': 'a man'}; {'age': None, 'gender': 'female', 'descriptor': None}; {'age': 2, 'gender': None, 'descriptor': None}; {'age': None, 'gender': 'male', 'descriptor': 'a man'}
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-1996-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0003)