# State of Tripura and Ors. vs Smt. Narayani S.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0009](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0009)

## Report card

By judgment dated 1 September 2005, the Gauhati High Court (Coram: T. Vaiphei, B.P. Katakey, JJ.) returned findings adverse to the accused police personnel, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 2,50,000).

- Register number: TR 04 CW 0001
- Case reference: 2005 Cri LJ 4239
- Court and date: Gauhati High Court (Coram: T. Vaiphei, B.P. Katakey, JJ.), 1 September 2005
- Officer(s) at the material time: Not identified in the cited sources (Ambassa Police Station)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The torture in the police custody, as held above, is also violative of the fundamental right of the detenue under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.” (at para 12)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 2,50,000).
- 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/1053996/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0009)

**Record:** CW-2005-0009 (compiler id CWC-0267); case NORTHE-008
**Title:** State of Tripura and Ors. vs Smt. Narayani S.
**Court:** Gauhati High Court; bench: Agartala; judges: T. Vaiphei; B.P. Katakey
**Case number / citation:** 2005 Cri LJ 4239
**Judgment:** 2005-09-01 (2005, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1991-07-28 (1991)
**Place:** Dhalai, Tripura; city town: Ambassa; police station or unit: Ambassa Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 21; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** None named (2 in record)
**Victims:** Ambassa boy, age 16 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 2,50,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Gauhati High Court (Agartala Division Bench) dismissed the State's appeal and upheld Rs 2.5 lakh compensation for the custodial death of 16-year-old a 16-year-old boy, affirming single judge W.A. Shishak's 23-06-1999 order in Civil Rule 482/1998. The court held he was subjected to brutal police torture in Ambassa custody after arrest on 28-07-1991 in a theft case (PS Case 9(7)/91), vindicated by ante-mortem injuries in the post-mortem, jail sick-book entries and his complaint to the Magistrate, dying on 10-08-1991 with no timely medical aid. Holding the State liable for the constitutional tort under Article 21, it directed payment of the Rs 2 lakh balance within two months (Rs 50,000 already paid), recoverable from erring officials, with Rs 5,000 costs for the meritless appeal.

> The torture in the police custody, as held above, is also violative of the fundamental right of the detenue under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1053996/); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1500820/)
**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:** True
**court quote para:** 12
**display title redacted:** State of Tripura and Ors. vs Smt. Narayani S.
**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': \['court_quote', 'court_quote_para', 'officers'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2005-09-01', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Gauhati High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Gauhati High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 250,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2005 Cri LJ 4239', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1053996/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1500820/', '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:** Gauhati HC (Agartala DB) upheld Rs 2.5L for custodial death of minor corrected to custodial_death.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**victims redacted:** {'age': 16, 'gender': 'male', 'descriptor': 'a 16-year-old boy'}
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2005-0009](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0009)