# Sheela Nagpur Man vs Home Department and Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0002](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0002)

## Report card

By judgment dated 27 January 2005 in Criminal Writ Petition No. 328 of 2002, the Bombay High Court (Coram: J.N. Patel, S.T. Kharche, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 4 police personnel, namely: Police Sub-Inspector, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Head Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Head Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Police Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 8 lakh (Rs 8,00,000).

- Register number: MH 31 CW 0006
- Case reference: Criminal Writ Petition No. 328 of 2002 / 2005 Cri LJ 2224
- Court and date: Bombay High Court (Coram: J.N. Patel, S.T. Kharche, JJ.), 27 January 2005
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police Sub-Inspector, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Head Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Head Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Police Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 330 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 342 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “the compensation, which is to be awarded, should also have a deterrent effect on the State so that its officers should not be encouraged to indulge in such illegal acts” (at para null -> '32')
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Compensation: Rs 8 lakh (Rs 8,00,000).
- 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/1078209/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0002)

**Record:** CW-2005-0002 (compiler id CWC-0238); case SWCUSTOD-023
**Title:** Sheela Nagpur Man vs Home Department and Ors.
**Court:** Bombay High Court; bench: Nagpur; judges: J.N. Patel; S.T. Kharche
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Writ Petition No. 328 of 2002 / 2005 Cri LJ 2224
**Judgment:** 2005-01-27 (2005, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2002-02-27 (2002)
**Place:** Nagpur, Maharashtra; city town: Nagpur; police station or unit: Police Station Gittikhadan and Police Station Lakadganj, Nagpur; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 302; IPC 330; IPC 342; IPC 34
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police Sub-Inspector, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Head Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Head Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur; Police Constable, Police Station Gittikhadan, Nagpur (4 in record)
**Victims:** Nagpur man, age 40 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** Rs 8 lakh (Rs 8,00,000)

Sudhakar Yerpude, a Nagpur goldsmith, was picked up by Lakadganj police on 9 February 2002, detained for three days without any arrest record, and released only after handing over gold, silver and Rs 15,000, the court found. He was picked up again by Gittikhadan police on the night of 27 February 2002 and tortured to death in custody, a custodial death the State did not dispute and the CID confirmed, charge-sheeting four policemen for murder. The Division Bench held both detentions violated Articles 21 and 22 and the D.K. Basu safeguards, awarded Rs 8 lakh compensation plus Rs 10,000 costs to the widow and minor children, and permitted recovery from the responsible officers of both police stations. The court stressed the award must deter officers from such illegal acts. Crime No. 76 of 2002 was registered against Sub-Inspector, Head Constables and \[name withheld\], and Constable, who were arrested on 11 April 2002; the court recorded no finding of guilt against any individual, leaving guilt to the trial. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> the compensation, which is to be awarded, should also have a deterrent effect on the State so that its officers should not be encouraged to indulge in such illegal acts

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1078209/); [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/924689/sheela-s-yerpude-appellant-hash-home-department-and-others-respondent/)
**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:** null -> '32'
**display title redacted:** Sheela Nagpur Man vs Home Department and Ors.
**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': \['court_quote_para'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2005-01-27', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Bombay High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Bombay High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 800,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2005 Cri LJ 2224', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1078209/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/924689/sheela-s-yerpude-appellant-hash-home-department-and-others-respondent/', '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:** ACCEPT: full judgment text verified via courtkutchehry mirror (2005 CriLJ 2224); custodial death established, Rs 8 lakh plus Rs 10,000 costs awarded with recovery permitted from officers of both stations; criminal trial (Crime No. 76/2002) against Gittikhadan officers pending at judgment.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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