# Jagruti vs \[name withheld\] (P.I.) and Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1997-0005](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1997-0005)

## Report card

By judgment dated 6 May 1997 in Special Criminal Application No. 480 of 1997, the Gujarat High Court (Coram: N. N. Mathur, J.) returned findings adverse to the Police Inspector, Gorva Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).

- Register number: GJ 06 CW 0003
- Case reference: Special Criminal Application No. 480 of 1997 / 1998 CriLJ 3251
- Court and date: Gujarat High Court (Coram: N. N. Mathur, J.), 6 May 1997
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police Inspector, Gorva Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: the Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
- Finding of the Court (extract): “A just look at the photographs speaks in volume how the deceased was tortured while he was in police custody.” (at para 3)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).
- 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/766547/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1997-0005)

**Record:** CW-1997-0005 (compiler id CWC-0146); case GUJARA-017
**Title:** Jagruti vs \[name withheld\] (P.I.) and Ors.
**Court:** Gujarat High Court; judges: N. N. Mathur
**Case number / citation:** Special Criminal Application No. 480 of 1997 / 1998 CriLJ 3251
**Judgment:** 1997-05-06 (1997, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1996-12-05 (1996)
**Place:** Vadodara, Gujarat; city town: Vadodara; police station or unit: Gorva Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC; PC Act 1988
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police Inspector, Gorva Police Station (1 in record)
**Victims:** Vadodara man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Gujarat High Court held it prima facie established that a Vadodara man, a Hubli businessman and known heart patient arrested in the Alembic Chemicals cheating case, was tortured in police custody at Gorva, Vadodara, and that his death on 5 December 1996 was traceable to police acts and omissions. The Court relied on photographs showing injuries on his soles, back and body corroborated by ante-mortem post-mortem injuries, and found no medical care was given despite knowledge of his ailment. It rejected the attribution of death to cardiac arrest from mental tension without examining custodial violence. Holding the facts disclosed a cognizable offence including a possible corruption angle, the Court ordered registration and investigation plus Rs 3 lakh interim compensation to the widow and Rs 15,000 costs. The court held the death prima facie traceable to the police and ordered FIR registration and investigation with Rs 3 lakh interim State compensation; the personal liability of Police Inspector of Gorva Police Station was expressly left open. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> A just look at the photographs speaks in volume how the deceased was tortured while he was in police custody.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/766547/)
**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:** 3
**display title redacted:** Jagruti vs \[name withheld\] (P.I.) and 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': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '1997-05-06', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Gujarat High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Gujarat High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 300,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '1998 CriLJ 3251', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/766547/', '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:** Gujarat HC judgment verified; custodial torture and death traced to police, Rs 3 lakh interim compensation.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-1997-0005](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1997-0005)