# Alanganallur Woman v. The State of Tamil Nadu and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2003-0002](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2003-0002)

## Report card

By judgment dated 21 February 2003 in Writ Petition No. 5510 of 1997, the Madras High Court (Coram: P. Sathasivam, J.) returned findings adverse to 7 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector of Police (Crime), Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).

- Register number: TN 57 CW 0001
- Case reference: Writ Petition No. 5510 of 1997
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: P. Sathasivam, J.), 21 February 2003
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector of Police (Crime), Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 166 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “However, in the light of the decision of the Government accepting the report of the Revenue Divisional Officer, holding 7 police officials were responsible for the death of the said an Alanganallur man and ordering prosecution and departmental action against …”
- 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/1570568/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2003-0002)

**Record:** CW-2003-0002 (compiler id CWC-0473); case SOUTH-005
**Title:** Alanganallur Woman v. The State of Tamil Nadu and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: P. Sathasivam
**Case number / citation:** Writ Petition No. 5510 of 1997
**Judgment:** 2003-02-21 (2003, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1989-10-21 (1989)
**Place:** Madurai, Tamil Nadu; city town: Alanganallur; police station or unit: Alanganallur Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 323; IPC 166; IPC 306; IPC 201
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector of Police (Crime), Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station; Police personnel, Alanganallur Police Station (7 in record)
**Victims:** Alanganallur man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Madras High Court records the following account. Justice P. Sathasivam awarded Rs 2 lakh compensation to Pandiammal for the custodial torture-death of her husband \[name withheld\] at Alanganallur police station on 21 October 1989 (Rs 50,000 interim already deposited plus Rs 1.5 lakh balance in Bank of Maharashtra, Madurai, with quarterly interest to the widow). An Alanganallur man was detained over a cow-theft complaint; police claimed he hanged himself in the station bathroom and dumped the body in the Periyar Main Channel, but 19 wounds were found on the body. The RDO Madurai enquiry under PSO 145 found 7 police officials jointly responsible and the Government ordered criminal prosecution (P.R.C. No. 27 of 1996) and departmental action. Seven Alanganallur police-station personnel were acquitted of the charges by the II Additional Sessions Judge, Madurai, on 30 November 2000 in Sessions Case No. 587 of 1999; the judgment does not name them. The Court held the Government liable despite the pending prosecution.

> However, in the light of the decision of the Government accepting the report of the Revenue Divisional Officer, holding 7 police officials were responsible for the death of the said an Alanganallur man and ordering prosecution and departmental action against them, I am of the view that in all fairness the Government itself ought to have granted financial assistance to the petitioner.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1570568/)
**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
**display title redacted:** Alanganallur Woman v. The State of Tamil Nadu 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': \['court_quote'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2003-02-21', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Madras High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Madras High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 200,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'Writ Petition No. 5510 of 1997', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1570568/', '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:** Madras HC awarded Rs 2L for an Alanganallur man's torture-death at Alanganallur PS; 7 officials held responsible.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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