# Palamu Man v. Union of India and Others

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## Report card

By judgment dated 11 November 1999 in C.W.J.C. No. 2437 of 1998 (R), the Patna High Court (Coram: M.Y. Eqbal, J.) returned findings adverse to 4 police personnel, namely: Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sadar B Circle, Daltonganj, Bihar Police; Inspector, Bihar Police (Panki P.S.); Sub-Inspector, Bihar Police (Panki P.S.); Police personnel, CRPF personnel with Assistant Commandant (raid party), and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).

- Register number: JH 03 CW 0001
- Case reference: C.W.J.C. No. 2437 of 1998 (R) / (2000) 1 PLJR 672
- Court and date: Patna High Court (Coram: M.Y. Eqbal, J.), 11 November 1999
- Officer(s) at the material time: Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sadar B Circle, Daltonganj, Bihar Police; Inspector, Bihar Police (Panki P.S.); Sub-Inspector, Bihar Police (Panki P.S.); Police personnel, CRPF personnel with Assistant Commandant (raid party)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Article 22(1) of the Constitution of India; Section 220 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 330 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 331 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; Section 83 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It is prima facie evident that the brutal and inhuman act of the police personnels has resulted in the death of the deceased.” (at para 13)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).
- 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/772163/mostt-ahulash-devi-vs-union-of-india-and-others/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-1999-0013)

**Record:** CW-1999-0013 (compiler id CWC-0968); case GAP3-100-001
**Title:** Palamu Man v. Union of India and Others
**Court:** Patna High Court; bench: Ranchi; judges: M.Y. Eqbal
**Case number / citation:** C.W.J.C. No. 2437 of 1998 (R) / (2000) 1 PLJR 672
**Judgment:** 1999-11-11 (1999, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1998-07-18 (1998)
**Place:** Palamu, Jharkhand (district at time: Palamau, Bihar); police station or unit: Panki Police Station (Pipratand outpost), Sadar B Circle, Daltonganj; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 21; Constitution Art. 22(1); IPC 220; IPC 330; IPC 331; CrPC 82; CrPC 83
**Officers (gated display forms):** Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sadar B Circle, Daltonganj, Bihar Police; Inspector, Bihar Police (Panki P.S.); Sub-Inspector, Bihar Police (Panki P.S.); Police personnel, CRPF personnel with Assistant Commandant (raid party)
**Victims:** Palamu man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Patna High Court (Ranchi bench) allowed the widow's writ, holding that her husband \[name withheld\] died in custody on 18 July 1998 from a brutal assault by a police party led by DySP \[name withheld\]. The court found that the joint Bihar police-BMP-CRPF party had raided the house without warrant, beaten the deceased with dandas and rifle butts, and failed to follow the D.K. Basu safeguards, rejecting the police claim that he was a wanted MCC activist injured while fleeing. It directed the CBI to hold a thorough enquiry and institute criminal prosecution against the officers involved in causing the death by torture. The court ordered Rs 2 lakh compensation to the widow, to be paid equally by the Central and State Governments within two months. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> It is prima facie evident that the brutal and inhuman act of the police personnels has resulted in the death of the deceased.

**Sources (2):** [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/772163/mostt-ahulash-devi-vs-union-of-india-and-others/); [casemine.com](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/56e12e4e607dba3896622fb7)
**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:** 13
**display title redacted:** Palamu Man v. Union of India 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': '1999-11-11', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Patna High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Patna High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 200,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '(2000) 1 PLJR 672', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/772163/mostt-ahulash-devi-vs-union-of-india-and-others/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/56e12e4e607dba3896622fb7', '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:** Writ allowed; Rs 2 lakh compensation plus CBI enquiry and prosecution for custodial death by police torture.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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