# Bhagalpur Man and Others vs B.K. Pandey

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0009](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0009)

## Report card

By judgment dated 13 April 2004 in Criminal Appeal Nos. 316-318, 332 and 396 of 1998, the Supreme Court of India (Coram: R. C. Lahoti, Ashok Bhan, JJ.) affirmed the conviction of 9 police personnel, namely: Inspector, Kotwali Police Station, Bhagalpur; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Officer-in-charge, Harijan Police Station, Bhagalpur; Sergeant Major, Police Line, Bhagalpur.

- Register number: BR 10 CW 0008
- Case reference: Criminal Appeal Nos. 316-318, 332 and 396 of 1998 / (2004) 5 SCC 26; AIR 2004 SC 2579
- Court and date: Supreme Court of India (Coram: R. C. Lahoti, Ashok Bhan, JJ.), 13 April 2004
- Officer(s) at the material time: Inspector, Kotwali Police Station, Bhagalpur; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Officer-in-charge, Harijan Police Station, Bhagalpur; Sergeant Major, Police Line, Bhagalpur
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The instant criminal appeals arising from a common judgment relating to the same incident, depict a rare, unfortunate and condemnable act of the police officials who contrary to the duty enjoined upon them to protect and maintain law and order, …” (at para n/a)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction upheld. Sentence: imprisonment; maximum substantive term of 0.25 years.
- 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/985284/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0009)

**Record:** CW-2004-0009 (compiler id CWC-1111); case GAP3-128-002
**Title:** Bhagalpur Man and Others vs B.K. Pandey
**Court:** Supreme Court of India; judges: R. C. Lahoti; Ashok Bhan
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Appeal Nos. 316-318, 332 and 396 of 1998 / (2004) 5 SCC 26; AIR 2004 SC 2579
**Judgment:** 2004-04-13 (2004, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1997-11-18 (1997)
**Place:** Bhagalpur, Bihar; city town: Bhagalpur; police station or unit: Kotwali PS / Harijan PS / Police Line, Bhagalpur; force: state_police
**Category:** Other misconduct
**Sub-category:** other
**Outcome:** Conviction upheld (conviction_upheld)
**Sections:** Contempt of Courts Act 1971 s.2(c)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Inspector, Kotwali Police Station, Bhagalpur; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Assistant Sub-Inspector, Bhagalpur Police; Officer-in-charge, Harijan Police Station, Bhagalpur; Sergeant Major, Police Line, Bhagalpur (9 in record)
**Victims:** Bhagalpur man; Bhagalpur resident (2 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** imprisonment; max 0.25 yrs
**Sentence type:** imprisonment (imprisonment)

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals of nine Bihar police personnel convicted of criminal contempt for a pre-planned attack on the 1st Additional District and Sessions Judge, Bhagalpur, in his courtroom and chambers on 18 November 1997. The Court held the assault, triggered by contempt proceedings against an IO who had repeatedly disobeyed court process, was proved against the appellants and rejected their pleas on cognizance, proof and natural justice. It sustained the Patna High Court's sentences of three months' simple imprisonment for ring leader Inspector and two months each for the other eight. The appellants on bail were ordered to surrender forthwith, with the DGP Bihar directed to secure compliance. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> The instant criminal appeals arising from a common judgment relating to the same incident, depict a rare, unfortunate and condemnable act of the police officials who contrary to the duty enjoined upon them to protect and maintain law and order, indulged in the act of attacking in a pre-planned and calculated manner a Bhagalpur man, Ist Additional District and Sessions Judge, in his court room and Chambers on 18th November, 1997 at Bhagalpur in the State of Bihar.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/985284/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** misconduct
**admin subcategory:** other
**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:** n/a
**display title redacted:** Bhagalpur Man and Others vs B.K. Pandey
**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 Supreme Court of India judgment)', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The trial court convicted the accused police personnel, as recorded in the Supreme Court of India judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': '(2004) 5 SCC 26; AIR 2004 SC 2579', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}; {'date': '2004-04-13', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Supreme Court of India', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Supreme Court of India dismissed the appeal and upheld the convictions of police personnel.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation (appellate affirmance; trial conviction separate card)', 'source': '(2004) 5 SCC 26; AIR 2004 SC 2579', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/985284/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** other
**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:** SC upheld criminal-contempt convictions of 9 policemen for pre-planned courtroom attack on sitting judge; 2-3 months SI.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction upheld.

[Open CW-2004-0009](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2004-0009)