# Sojna Police Station Officer vs State of U.P.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0018](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0018)

## Report card

By judgment dated 14 February 2002 in Criminal Appeal No. 2350 of 1997, the Allahabad High Court (Coram: J. Gupta, Imtiyaz Murtaza, JJ.) affirmed the conviction of the Station Officer, Police Station Sojna, Lalitpur, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 15,000.

- Register number: UP 94 CW 0001
- Case reference: Criminal Appeal No. 2350 of 1997 / 2002 CriLJ 2220
- Court and date: Allahabad High Court (Coram: J. Gupta, Imtiyaz Murtaza, JJ.), 14 February 2002
- Officer(s) at the material time: Station Officer, Police Station Sojna, Lalitpur
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 342 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “From the evidence available on record both documentary and oral we are satisfied that \[name withheld\] had caused injuries to deceased \[name withheld\] while he was in police custody and even if it is not possible to say that he …” (at para 26)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction upheld. Sentence: imprisonment and fine; maximum substantive term of 2 years. Compensation: Rs 15,000.
- 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.legalindia.com/judgments/j-b-katariya-vs-state-of-u-p-on-14-february-2002); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2002-0018)

**Record:** CW-2002-0018 (compiler id CWC-0959); case GAP3-2-001
**Title:** Sojna Police Station Officer vs State of U.P.
**Court:** Allahabad High Court; judges: J. Gupta; Imtiyaz Murtaza
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Appeal No. 2350 of 1997 / 2002 CriLJ 2220
**Judgment:** 2002-02-14 (2002, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1987-03-07 (1987)
**Place:** Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh; city town: Sojna; police station or unit: Police Station Sojna; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Conviction upheld (conviction_upheld)
**Sections:** IPC 304 Part II; IPC 302; IPC 342
**Officers (gated display forms):** Station Officer, Police Station Sojna, Lalitpur (1 in record)
**Victims:** Sojna man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** mixed; max 2 yrs; Rs 15,000
**Sentence type:** mixed (mixed)

The judgment of the Allahabad High Court records the following account. Station Officer arrested a Sojna man on 7 March 1987 and, the Court found, gave him repeated lathi blows at Sojna Tigadda and inside the police station courtyard and lock-up; a Sojna man died in custody on 8 March 1987 with 18 ante-mortem lathi injuries, death due to shock and haemorrhage. The trial court had convicted \[name withheld\] under sections 302/342 IPC (life imprisonment) and two constables under sections 323/342 IPC. The Court held the custodial assault fully proved against \[name withheld\] by six consistent eyewitnesses corroborated by the post-mortem, but altered the conviction to section 304 Part II IPC with two years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 25,000 fine, Rs 15,000 to the next of kin. The Court acquitted both constables on benefit of doubt, set aside the section 342 conviction, dismissed the State appeal, and ordered \[name withheld\] taken into custody forthwith.

> From the evidence available on record both documentary and oral we are satisfied that \[name withheld\] had caused injuries to deceased \[name withheld\] while he was in police custody and even if it is not possible to say that he intended to cause the death of a Sojna man, but he can certainly be clothed with the knowledge that the injuries which were being caused to the deceased at the police station were likely to cause his death though probably without any intention to cause his death, or even to cause such bodily injuries to him as were likely to cause death. The offence would fall under Section 304- Part II I.P.C.

**Sources (2):** [legalindia.com](https://www.legalindia.com/judgments/j-b-katariya-vs-state-of-u-p-on-14-february-2002); 2002 CriLJ 2220
**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:** 26
**display title redacted:** Sojna Police Station Officer vs State of U.P.
**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': None, 'action_type': 'Conviction', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Trial court (as recorded in the Allahabad High Court judgment)', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The trial court convicted the accused police personnel, as recorded in the Allahabad High Court judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': '2002 CriLJ 2220', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}; {'date': '2002-02-14', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Allahabad High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Allahabad High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the convictions of police personnel.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation (appellate affirmance; trial conviction separate card)', 'source': '2002 CriLJ 2220', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.legalindia.com/judgments/j-b-katariya-vs-state-of-u-p-on-14-february-2002', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': '2002 CriLJ 2220', '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:** HC held custodial beating proved against SO; altered 302 to 304 Part II, 2 years RI plus Rs 25,000 fine.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction upheld.

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