# Guwahati Man v. State of Assam and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0015](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0015)

## Report card

By judgment dated 3 September 2002, the Gauhati High Court (Coram: D. Biswas, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Armed Branch Constable, Assam Police, Guwahati (Doordarshan Kendra duty party); Unknown, Assam Police (Doordarshan Kendra duty party), and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).

- Register number: AS 25 CW 0004
- Case reference: AIR 2003 Gau 101
- Court and date: Gauhati High Court (Coram: D. Biswas, J.), 3 September 2002
- Officer(s) at the material time: Armed Branch Constable, Assam Police, Guwahati (Doordarshan Kendra duty party); Unknown, Assam Police (Doordarshan Kendra duty party)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 27(3) of the Arms Act, 1959; Article 226 of the Constitution of India; Article 21 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It is an admitted fact that a Guwahati man was killed by gunshot fired by ABC/264 Shri \[name withheld\] on duty. The gunshot was fired in a crowded place with the full knowledge that he was likely by such act …” (at para 6)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).
- 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/100542/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0015)

**Record:** CW-2002-0015 (compiler id CWC-0667); case SWFAKEEN-039
**Title:** Guwahati Man v. State of Assam and Others
**Court:** Gauhati High Court; judges: D. Biswas
**Case number / citation:** AIR 2003 Gau 101
**Judgment:** 2002-09-03 (2002, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1997-10-24 (1997)
**Place:** Kamrup Metropolitan, Assam (district at time: Kamrup); city town: Guwahati; police station or unit: Assam Police Armed Branch (Doordarshan Kendra duty party, Guwahati); force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** fake encounter extrajudicial killing
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 302; Arms Act s.27(3); Constitution Art. 226; Constitution Art. 21
**Officers (gated display forms):** Armed Branch Constable, Assam Police, Guwahati (Doordarshan Kendra duty party); Unknown, Assam Police (Doordarshan Kendra duty party) (2 in record)
**Victims:** Guwahati man, age 29 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Gauhati High Court (Justice D. Biswas) awarded Rs 5 lakh to 65-year-old Jagat Dhar Sharma for the admitted on-duty gunshot killing of his 29-year-old engineer son \[name withheld\] on R.G. Baruah Road, Guwahati, on 24 October 1997. The Court found that armed constable, after quarrelling with a tea-stall keeper, fired aiming at the keeper in a crowded street with full knowledge of likely fatal injury to the public, and the bullet struck bystander a Guwahati man instead. Holding the State vicariously liable for this grave Article 21 violation, the Court ordered the languishing investigation completed within three months and recovery of the award from Deka and the duty-party members who failed to restrain him. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> It is an admitted fact that a Guwahati man was killed by gunshot fired by ABC/264 Shri \[name withheld\] on duty. The gunshot was fired in a crowded place with the full knowledge that he was likely by such act to cause fatal injuries to the members of the public.

**Sources (3):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/100542/); [legalindia.com](https://www.legalindia.com/judgments/jagat-dhar-sharma-vs-state-of-assam-and-ors-on-3-september-2002); [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/420494/jagat-dhar-sharma-appellant-hash-state-of-assam-and-others-respondent/)
**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:** 6
**display title redacted:** Guwahati Man v. State of Assam 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': 'wrong_facts', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2002-09-03', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Gauhati High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Gauhati High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 500,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'AIR 2003 Gau 101', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/100542/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.legalindia.com/judgments/jagat-dhar-sharma-vs-state-of-assam-and-ors-on-3-september-2002', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/420494/jagat-dhar-sharma-appellant-hash-state-of-assam-and-others-respondent/', '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:** Gauhati HC judgment corroborated on legalindia/sooperkanoon/courtkutchehry; Rs 5L award, \[name withheld\] firing admitted.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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