# Nawanshahr Man vs State of Punjab

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2001-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2001-0003)

## Report card

By judgment dated 10 May 2001, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (Coram: M.L. Singhal, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Inspector, Police Station Nawanshahr; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nawanshahr, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).

- Register number: PB 32 CW 0001
- Case reference: 2001(3) RCR(Crl.) 569
- Court and date: Punjab and Haryana High Court (Coram: M.L. Singhal, J.), 10 May 2001
- Officer(s) at the material time: Inspector, Police Station Nawanshahr; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nawanshahr
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “Encounter as alleged and escape of \[name withheld\] was just stage managed to eliminate \[name withheld\].” (at para 9)
- 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/151445/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2001-0003)

**Record:** CW-2001-0003 (compiler id CWC-0302); case SWENFORC-015
**Title:** Nawanshahr Man vs State of Punjab
**Court:** Punjab and Haryana High Court; judges: M.L. Singhal
**Case number / citation:** 2001(3) RCR(Crl.) 569
**Judgment:** 2001-05-10 (2001, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1993-01-11 (1993)
**Place:** Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Punjab (district at time: Nawanshahr); city town: Nawanshahr; police station or unit: Police Station Nawanshahr; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 302; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Inspector, Police Station Nawanshahr; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nawanshahr (4 in record)
**Victims:** Nawanshahr man, age 35 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court records the following account. A 35-year-old bank branch manager was handed over by his father \[name withheld\] to Inspector, SHO, on 29 December 1992 and was never released; police claimed he escaped from handcuffs during a terrorist ambush on 11 January 1993 while being taken for arms recovery. Two successive Sessions Judge enquiries rejected the ambush and escape story as not believable and found prima facie that the branch manager was eliminated in a stage-managed encounter, holding Inspector liable. The High Court directed the SHO to register a murder case, with investigation by an officer not below SP rank from outside Jalandhar range within four months. Holding the State vicariously liable for murder by its functionaries, the Court awarded Rs. 3,00,000 shared equally by widow \[name withheld\] and three children. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Encounter as alleged and escape of \[name withheld\] was just stage managed to eliminate \[name withheld\].

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/151445/); [the-laws.com](https://www.the-laws.com/encyclopedia/browse/case?caseId=611002996000&title=pritam-singh-vs-state-of-punjab)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** fake_encounter_extrajudicial_killing
**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:** Nawanshahr Man vs State of Punjab
**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': '2001-05-10', '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 300,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2001(3) RCR(Crl.) 569', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/151445/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.the-laws.com/encyclopedia/browse/case?caseId=611002996000&title=pritam-singh-vs-state-of-punjab', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**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:** P&H HC held the branch manager eliminated in stage-managed encounter fixing liability on Inspector, ordering murder-case registration and Rs 3 lakh to family.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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