# Geeta and Anr. vs Lt. Governor and Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1998-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1998-0004)

## Report card

By judgment dated 18 August 1998, the Delhi High Court (Coram: Anil Dev Singh, J.) returned findings adverse to the Police personnel, P.S. Sarojini Nagar, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5.5 lakh (Rs 5,50,000).

- Register number: DL 09 CW 0001
- Case reference: 2000 ACJ 109; 75 (1998) DLT 822
- Court and date: Delhi High Court (Coram: Anil Dev Singh, J.), 18 August 1998
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police personnel, P.S. Sarojini Nagar
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 304 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Article 21 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It is not the case of the respondents that when he was arrested he was having injuries on his person. No explanation has been rendered for fifty one injuries which were found on his person as a result of which …” (at para 8)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 5.5 lakh (Rs 5,50,000).
- 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/1942298/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1998-0004)

**Record:** CW-1998-0004 (compiler id CWC-0110); case DELHI-019
**Title:** Geeta and Anr. vs Lt. Governor and Ors.
**Court:** Delhi High Court; judges: Anil Dev Singh
**Case number / citation:** 2000 ACJ 109; 75 (1998) DLT 822
**Judgment:** 1998-08-18 (1998, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1996-08-29 (1996)
**Place:** South West Delhi, Delhi; city town: Sarojini Nagar; police station or unit: P.S. Sarojini Nagar; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 304; Constitution Art 21
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police personnel, P.S. Sarojini Nagar (8 in record)
**Victims:** Sarojini Nagar man, age 22 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5.5 lakh (Rs 5,50,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Delhi High Court awarded Rs 5,50,000 to the widow and mother of 22-year-old a Sarojini Nagar man, who was tortured to death in Sarojini Nagar police custody. A Sarojini Nagar man, against whom there was no allegation of any criminal activity, was picked up on 29 August 1996 after his brother \[name withheld\] escaped from a police party; his body, bearing 51 injuries, was brought to Safdarjung Hospital the next day. The State admitted the custodial death and injuries, and an SDM Hauz Khas enquiry prima facie held eight policemen (respondents 3 to 10, arrested and challaned under Section 304 IPC) responsible. The Court deplored the continued preference for torture over scientific investigation and left the State free to recover the award from those found responsible. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> It is not the case of the respondents that when he was arrested he was having injuries on his person. No explanation has been rendered for fifty one injuries which were found on his person as a result of which he died in police custody.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1942298/)
**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:** 8
**display title redacted:** Geeta and Anr. vs Lt. Governor 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': '1998-08-18', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Delhi High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Delhi High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 550,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2000 ACJ 109; 75 (1998) DLT 822', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1942298/', '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:** Delhi HC order verified on Indian Kanoon; admitted custodial torture-death, Rs 5.5 lakh awarded.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-1998-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1998-0004)