# Rajouri Garden Man vs Union of India and Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0005](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0005)

## Report card

By judgment dated 30 September 2002, the Delhi High Court (Coram: S.B. Sinha, A.K. Sikri, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector, P.S. Rajouri Garden; Constable, P.S. Rajouri Garden, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).

- Register number: DL 04 CW 0005
- Case reference: AIR 2003 Delhi 50; 100 (2002) DLT 721
- Court and date: Delhi High Court (Coram: S.B. Sinha, A.K. Sikri, JJ.), 30 September 2002
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, P.S. Rajouri Garden; Constable, P.S. Rajouri Garden
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988; Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of this case, we are of the opinion that it is a fit case where the petitioner has been able to establish that there has been a violation of the deceased's Fundamental Right …” (at para 35)
- 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://indiankanoon.org/doc/1930290/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0005)

**Record:** CW-2002-0005 (compiler id CWC-0109); case DELHI-018
**Title:** Rajouri Garden Man vs Union of India and Ors.
**Court:** Delhi High Court; judges: S.B. Sinha; A.K. Sikri
**Case number / citation:** AIR 2003 Delhi 50; 100 (2002) DLT 721
**Judgment:** 2002-09-30 (2002, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1992-12-10 (1992)
**Place:** West Delhi, Delhi; city town: Rajouri Garden; police station or unit: P.S. Rajouri Garden; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** MV Act 1988 s.185; Constitution Art 21; Constitution Art 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector, P.S. Rajouri Garden; Constable, P.S. Rajouri Garden (2 in record)
**Victims:** Rajouri Garden man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Delhi High Court held that the Delhi Police violated a Rajouri Garden man's fundamental right to life under Article 21, awarding his widow \[name withheld\] 2 lakh in public-law damages. Sharma, arrested under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act after a scooter accident on 10 December 1992 left him with a bleeding head wound, was kept in the Rajouri Garden lock-up overnight; when he complained of severe headache at 12:30 AM he was shown to the same doctor but neither hospitalised nor treated further, and he died that afternoon after being bailed out in the morning. The Court held the police failed in their statutory duty of care toward an injured arrestee who ought to have been hospitalised or released, and left the widow free to claim further damages by civil suit. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of this case, we are of the opinion that it is a fit case where the petitioner has been able to establish that there has been a violation of the deceased's Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and, thus, damages in public law remedy can be awarded. Having regard to the facts and circumstances of this case, we are of the opinion that the respondent should pay a sum of Rs. 2 lacs to the petitioner herein with the liberty to her to file an appropriate suit for damages, if she is so advised.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1930290/)
**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:** 35
**display title redacted:** Rajouri Garden Man vs Union of India 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': '2002-09-30', '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 200,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'AIR 2003 Delhi 50; 100 (2002) DLT 721', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1930290/', '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 judgment verified on Indian Kanoon; Art.21 violation + public-law damages for custodial death (operative figure per reported citation).
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2002-0005](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0005)