# Ernakulam Woman vs State of Kerala

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0013](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0013)

## Report card

By judgment dated 6 July 2005 in O.P. No. 11681 of 1997, the Kerala High Court (Coram: A.K. Basheer J., J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Police personnel, Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam; Head Constable (woman), Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 50,000.

- Register number: KL 07 CW 0003
- Case reference: O.P. No. 11681 of 1997 / (2005) 3 Ker LJ 404; AIR 2006 (NOC) 238 (Ker); 2006 Cri LJ 59
- Court and date: Kerala High Court (Coram: A.K. Basheer J., J.), 6 July 2005
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police personnel, Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam; Head Constable (woman), Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “I have no hesitation to hold that the action of the Police personnel concerned is not only reprehensible but is also liable to be visited with exemplary punishment.” (at para 12)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 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/1530485/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0013)

**Record:** CW-2005-0013 (compiler id CWC-0814); case GAP2-30-003
**Title:** Ernakulam Woman vs State of Kerala
**Court:** Kerala High Court; judges: A.K. Basheer J.
**Case number / citation:** O.P. No. 11681 of 1997 / (2005) 3 Ker LJ 404; AIR 2006 (NOC) 238 (Ker); 2006 Cri LJ 59
**Judgment:** 2005-07-06 (2005, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1997-05-24 (1997)
**Place:** Ernakulam, Kerala; city town: Ernakulam (Pulleppady); police station or unit: Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** illegal detention false imprisonment
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police personnel, Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam; Head Constable (woman), Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam (2 in record)
**Victims:** Ernakulam woman (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 50,000
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Kerala High Court (A.K. Basheer, J.) allowed the writ petition, holding that Vanitha Police Station, Ernakulam illegally detained young housewife an Ernakulam woman for about 80 hours from 24 to 27 May 1997 without registering any crime, producing her before a Magistrate, or effecting an arrest, and lodged her against her will in the Palluruthy Relief Settlement among sickly and old destitutes. The Court held the detention violated her dignity and personal liberty and inflicted mental torture more baneful than physical torture, calling the police action reprehensible and liable to exemplary punishment. It directed the State to pay Rs.50,000 with 8% interest from 24 May 1997 within two months, citing D.K. Basu, Rudul Sah, Nilabati Behera and Saheli on public-law compensation. The individual police personnel are not named in the judgment. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> I have no hesitation to hold that the action of the Police personnel concerned is not only reprehensible but is also liable to be visited with exemplary punishment.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1530485/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** illegal_detention_false_imprisonment
**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:** 12
**display title redacted:** Ernakulam Woman vs State of Kerala
**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': '2005-07-06', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Kerala High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Kerala High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 50,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '(2005) 3 Ker LJ 404; AIR 2006 (NOC) 238 (Ker); 2006 Cri LJ 59', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1530485/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** illegal detention false imprisonment
**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:** O.P. allowed; 80-hour illegal detention and mental torture found; Rs.50,000 with 8% interest awarded.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2005-0013](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0013)