# Rajgangpur Woman vs State of Orissa

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## Report card

By judgment dated 14 November 1996, the Orissa High Court (Coram: S.N. Phukan, A. Pasayat, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Assistant Sub-Inspector, Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station; Constable, Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh (Rs 1,50,000).

- Register number: OD 29 CW 0001
- Case reference: 1997(I) OLR 384
- Court and date: Orissa High Court (Coram: S.N. Phukan, A. Pasayat, JJ.), 14 November 1996
- Officer(s) at the material time: Assistant Sub-Inspector, Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station; Constable, Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Article 22 of the Constitution of India; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “Even if it is accepted that there was no arrest as stated by the opposite parties, yet the fact that a Rajgangpur man was under the control of the police officials cannot be lost sight of.” (at para 9)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 1.5 lakh (Rs 1,50,000).
- 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/1859719/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1996-0011)

**Record:** CW-1996-0011 (compiler id CWC-0278); case ODISHA-002
**Title:** Rajgangpur Woman vs State of Orissa
**Court:** Orissa High Court; judges: S.N. Phukan; A. Pasayat
**Case number / citation:** 1997(I) OLR 384
**Judgment:** 1996-11-14 (1996, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1994-10-03 (1994)
**Place:** Kendrapara, Odisha; city town: Rajgangpur; police station or unit: Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** enforced disappearance
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 21; Constitution Art. 22; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Assistant Sub-Inspector, Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station; Constable, Kudanagari Out Post, Patakura Police Station (2 in record)
**Victims:** Rajgangpur man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 1.5 lakh (Rs 1,50,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Orissa High Court records the following account. School teacher a Rajgangpur man was taken from his school at Rajgangpur on 03-10-1994 by ASI and Constable of Kudanagari Out Post for interrogation in a kidnapping case, with a promise to return him, and vanished. Police claimed he slipped away while taking tea and was alive elsewhere. The Orissa High Court rejected the escape story, holding he was under police control when last seen so the burden lay on police to account for him. Allowing the habeas corpus writ under Article 226, it ordered Rs 1.5 lakh compensation (Rs 25,000 released at once, balance in fixed deposit releasable if police failed to produce or account for him by October 1997), leaving the registered murder case, taken over by the Crime Branch, to proceed. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Even if it is accepted that there was no arrest as stated by the opposite parties, yet the fact that a Rajgangpur man was under the control of the police officials cannot be lost sight of.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1859719/); [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/96245/smt-chanchala-swain-appellant-hash-state-of-orissa-and-others-respondent/)
**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:** False
**court quote para:** 9
**display title redacted:** Rajgangpur Woman vs State of Orissa
**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': '1996-11-14', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Orissa High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Orissa High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 150,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '1997(I) OLR 384', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1859719/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/96245/smt-chanchala-swain-appellant-hash-state-of-orissa-and-others-respondent/', '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:** Orissa HC allowed habeas writ for teacher taken by Kudanagari police; Rs 1.5L compensation.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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