# Rattan Chand v. Chandigarh Administration & Ors.

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## Report card

By judgment dated 8 November 1996 in Civil Writ Petition No. 11670 of 1993, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (Coram: R.L. Anand, J.) returned findings adverse to the Assistant Sub-Inspector, Punjab Armed Police (lodged FIR No. 207/1990, PS Sector 39), and directed payment of compensation of Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).

- Register number: CH 01 CW 0002
- Case reference: Civil Writ Petition No. 11670 of 1993 / 2(1997) ACC 108
- Court and date: Punjab and Haryana High Court (Coram: R.L. Anand, J.), 8 November 1996
- Officer(s) at the material time: Assistant Sub-Inspector, Punjab Armed Police (lodged FIR No. 207/1990, PS Sector 39)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “To resort to straightway firing in itself is the presumptive proof of the torturous act committed by the State and its functionaries and under the garb of so-called right of self-defence, the life of an individual cannot be taken nor …” (at para 6)
- 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://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/128920/rattan-chand-vs-state-of-punjab-and-others/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0010)

**Record:** CW-1996-0010 (compiler id CWC-0565); case SWFAKEEN-030
**Title:** Rattan Chand v. Chandigarh Administration & Ors.
**Court:** Punjab and Haryana High Court; judges: R.L. Anand
**Case number / citation:** Civil Writ Petition No. 11670 of 1993 / 2(1997) ACC 108
**Judgment:** 1996-11-08 (1996, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1990-10-23 (1990)
**Place:** Chandigarh, Chandigarh; city town: Sectors 37-38-40-41 crossing; police station or unit: Punjab Armed Police (bus PIC-556, requisitioned for Chandigarh); PS Sector 39; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** disproportionate force
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Assistant Sub-Inspector, Punjab Armed Police (lodged FIR No. 207/1990, PS Sector 39) (1 in record)
**Victims:** Sectors 37-38-40-41 crossing man, age 21 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Punjab and Haryana High Court held Chandigarh Administration and Punjab jointly and severally liable for the 23 October 1990 police firing on anti-Mandal demonstrators at the Sectors 37-38 crossing, in which a 21-year-old driver was killed. The Court found no warning, unlawful-assembly declaration, lathi charge, tear gas or aerial fire had been shown, held straightway firing itself presumptive proof of the State's tortious act, and awarded the father 1,00,000 compensation within three months on strict public-law liability. The police claim of self-defence was rejected. ASI (Punjab Armed Police) led the party and lodged FIR No. 207/1990; no individual officer was held personally liable. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> To resort to straightway firing in itself is the presumptive proof of the torturous act committed by the State and its functionaries and under the garb of so-called right of self-defence, the life of an individual cannot be taken nor it can be permitted to be taken.

**Sources (2):** [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/128920/rattan-chand-vs-state-of-punjab-and-others/); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1366333/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** disproportionate_force
**allegations:** {'category': 'Protest policing', '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:** 6
**display title redacted:** Rattan Chand v. Chandigarh Administration & Ors.
**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': 'wrong_facts', 'corrections_applied': \['summary'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '1996-11-08', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Punjab and Haryana High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Punjab and Haryana High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 100,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2(1997) ACC 108', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/128920/rattan-chand-vs-state-of-punjab-and-others/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1366333/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** disproportionate force
**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:** Straightway police firing on demonstrators without warning; death held tortious, Rs 1L.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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