# Delhi Man and Others vs Union of India (UOI) and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0019](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0019)

## Report card

By judgment dated 20 December 2005 in W.P.(Crl.) Nos. 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 of 2005, the Delhi High Court (Coram: Ramesh Chand Jain, J.) returned findings adverse to 5 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police; Head Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh (Rs 3,50,000).

- Register number: DL 04 CW 0006
- Case reference: W.P.(Crl.) Nos. 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 of 2005 / (2006) 126 DLT 653; (2006) 142 PLR 70
- Court and date: Delhi High Court (Coram: Ramesh Chand Jain, J.), 20 December 2005
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police; Head Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “there is no denial of the legal position that the state under public law is vicariously liable to compensate the legal heirs of the deceased who has met the custodial death at the hands of official of the State” (at para 2)
- 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/425502/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0019)

**Record:** CW-2005-0019 (compiler id CWC-1170); case GAP3-39-001
**Title:** Delhi Man and Others vs Union of India (UOI) and Others
**Court:** Delhi High Court; judges: Ramesh Chand Jain
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(Crl.) Nos. 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969 of 2005 / (2006) 126 DLT 653; (2006) 142 PLR 70
**Judgment:** 2005-12-20 (2005, day precision)
**Incident date:** Not stated
**Place:** West Delhi, Delhi; city town: Delhi; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector, Delhi Police; Head Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police; Constable, Delhi Police (5 in record)
**Victims:** Delhi man, age 32 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3.5 lakh (Rs 3,50,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Delhi High Court records the following account. A Delhi man, aged about 32, who ran an STD booth in Delhi, died of injuries caused by five named Delhi Police officials while in their custody; the respondent State did not dispute the custodial death and stated the officials were facing trial before the Additional Sessions Judge. His widow, two minor daughters and two brothers moved the High Court under Article 226 after the Supreme Court dismissed their petition with liberty to approach it. Applying Nilabati Behera and successor decisions, the Court held the State vicariously liable in public law to compensate the legal heirs. It awarded Rs 3,50,000 to the widow and two minor children (Rs 50,000 to the widow, Rs 3 lakh in FDRs for the children), leaving the State at liberty to recover the amount from the delinquent officials. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> there is no denial of the legal position that the state under public law is vicariously liable to compensate the legal heirs of the deceased who has met the custodial death at the hands of official of the State

**Sources (3):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/425502/); [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/907952/rekha-and-others-vs-union-of-india-uoi-and-others/); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1560757/)
**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:** 2
**display title redacted:** Delhi Man and Others vs Union of India (UOI) and Others
**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': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2005-12-20', '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': '(2006) 126 DLT 653; (2006) 142 PLR 70', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/425502/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/907952/rekha-and-others-vs-union-of-india-uoi-and-others/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1560757/', '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:** Admitted custodial death; HC awarded Rs 3.5 lakh compensation, State free to recover from officers.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2005-0019](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2005-0019)