# State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi) vs Smt. Iqbal Begum

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0001](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0001)

## Report card

By judgment dated 22 May 2004 in Letters Patent Appeal against Single Judge writ judgment (2004 CriLJ 3092), the Delhi High Court (Coram: Dalveer Bhandari, R.C. Jain, JJ.) returned findings adverse to the accused police personnel, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh (Rs 3,50,000).

- Register number: DL 05 CW 0003
- Case reference: Letters Patent Appeal against Single Judge writ judgment (2004 CriLJ 3092) / 2004 CriLJ 3092
- Court and date: Delhi High Court (Coram: Dalveer Bhandari, R.C. Jain, JJ.), 22 May 2004
- Officer(s) at the material time: Not identified in the cited sources (PS Seelampur, Delhi Police)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “From the entire material on record it is clear that the death of the husband of the respondent can be clearly termed as custodial death and even if the deceased was suffering from the heart problem, the brutality inflicted upon …” (at para 7)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 3.5 lakh (Rs 3,50,000).
- 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/610196/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0001)

**Record:** CW-2004-0001 (compiler id CWC-0104); case DELHI-013
**Title:** State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi) vs Smt. Iqbal Begum
**Court:** Delhi High Court; judges: Dalveer Bhandari; R.C. Jain
**Case number / citation:** Letters Patent Appeal against Single Judge writ judgment (2004 CriLJ 3092) / 2004 CriLJ 3092
**Judgment:** 2004-05-22 (2004, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1994-08-27 (1994)
**Place:** North East Delhi, Delhi; city town: Seelampur; police station or unit: PS Seelampur, Delhi Police; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** None named (1 in record)
**Victims:** Seelampur man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3.5 lakh (Rs 3,50,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Delhi High Court Division Bench (Dalveer Bhandari, J.) dismissed the State's appeal as devoid of merit and upheld Rs. 3,50,000 ex-gratia compensation for the custodial death of a Seelampur man Summoned to PS Seelampur at 5 PM on 27 August 1994 and locked up at 7:50 PM, he died during interrogation the same night with multiple ante-mortem injuries and was brought dead to hospital at 00:40 AM; a Section 176 CrPC magisterial inquiry confirmed death in police custody. The Court recorded that the State and its functionaries caused the death in custody, holding the brutality precipitated his fatal condition despite a heart ailment, and rebuked the State for appealing a just and reasonable award instead of graciously accepting it.

> From the entire material on record it is clear that the death of the husband of the respondent can be clearly termed as custodial death and even if the deceased was suffering from the heart problem, the brutality inflicted upon him only precipitated the condition which proved fatal.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/610196/); [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/378848/state-govt-of-nct-of-delhi-vs-smt-iqbal-begum/)
**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:** 7
**display title redacted:** State (Govt. of NCT of Delhi) vs Smt. Iqbal Begum
**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': \['court_quote_para'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2004-05-22', '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 350,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2004 CriLJ 3092', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/610196/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/378848/state-govt-of-nct-of-delhi-vs-smt-iqbal-begum/', '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:** Primary judgment verified: State appeal dismissed; Rs 3.5 lakh custodial-death compensation upheld.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2004-0001](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0001)