# Theni Man v. The Government of Tamil Nadu and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0008](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0008)

## Report card

By judgment dated 14 August 1996 in W.P. No. 7925 of 1995, the Madras High Court (Coram: Kanakaraj, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Inspector of Police, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Madras; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Madras, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).

- Register number: TN 60 CW 0001
- Case reference: W.P. No. 7925 of 1995 / 1996(2) CTC 478
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: Kanakaraj, J.), 14 August 1996
- Officer(s) at the material time: Inspector of Police, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Madras; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Madras
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It is a matter of grave violation of human rights and one should take pride in upholding the right of a citizen in this country.” (at para 11)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).
- 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/1818499/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0008)

**Record:** CW-1996-0008 (compiler id CWC-0470); case SOUTH-001
**Title:** Theni Man v. The Government of Tamil Nadu and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: Kanakaraj
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No. 7925 of 1995 / 1996(2) CTC 478
**Judgment:** 1996-08-14 (1996, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1995-04-05 (1995)
**Place:** Theni, Tamil Nadu (district at time: Madurai); city town: Theni; police station or unit: Narcotics Intelligence Bureau office, Theni; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Inspector of Police, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Madras; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Narcotics Intelligence Bureau, Madras (2 in record)
**Victims:** Theni man, age 37 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

Justice Kanakaraj held that a Theni man died in the custody of Narcotics Intelligence Bureau officials at Theni and awarded his widow Rs 1 lakh interim compensation (Rs 25,000 immediate, Rs 75,000 in bank deposit), adjustable against regular compensation. A Theni man was detained on 5 April 1995, taken to the NIB office at Theni, chained and tortured while relatives heard his cries. The Sub-Collector/Collector enquiry under PSO 145 rejected the police version and the Government directed prosecution of Inspector and ASI. The Court held the widow entitled to compensation without waiting for the outcome of that prosecution. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> It is a matter of grave violation of human rights and one should take pride in upholding the right of a citizen in this country.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1818499/)
**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:** 11
**display title redacted:** Theni Man v. The Government of Tamil Nadu 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': '1996-08-14', '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 100,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '1996(2) CTC 478', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1818499/', '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:** Madras HC held NIB custodial death of a Theni man; Rs 1 lakh interim compensation; prosecution of 2 officers directed.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-1996-0008](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0008)