# Morena Man vs State of Madhya Pradesh and Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2006-0019](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2006-0019)

## Report card

By judgment dated 17 February 2006, the Madhya Pradesh High Court (Coram: A.K. Patnaik, R.K. Gupta, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 3 police personnel, namely: Assistant Sub-Inspector, City Kotwali, Morena; Sub-Inspector, City Kotwali, Morena; Head Constable, City Kotwali, Morena, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).

- Register number: MP 06 CW 0001
- Case reference: 2006(2) MPHT 18
- Court and date: Madhya Pradesh High Court (Coram: A.K. Patnaik, R.K. Gupta, JJ.), 17 February 2006
- Officer(s) at the material time: Assistant Sub-Inspector, City Kotwali, Morena; Sub-Inspector, City Kotwali, Morena; Head Constable, City Kotwali, Morena
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “Once a person is taken into custody of the Police, it is responsibility of the Police to ensure safety of his life.” (at para 14)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).
- 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/975911/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2006-0019)

**Record:** CW-2006-0019 (compiler id CWC-1248); case GAP3-75-002
**Title:** Morena Man vs State of Madhya Pradesh and Ors.
**Court:** Madhya Pradesh High Court; judges: A.K. Patnaik; R.K. Gupta
**Case number / citation:** 2006(2) MPHT 18
**Judgment:** 2006-02-17 (2006, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1996-08-22 (1996)
**Place:** Morena, Madhya Pradesh; city town: Morena; police station or unit: City Kotwali, Morena; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 302; IPC 307; IPC 34; IPC 309; Constitution Art. 21; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Assistant Sub-Inspector, City Kotwali, Morena; Sub-Inspector, City Kotwali, Morena; Head Constable, City Kotwali, Morena (3 in record)
**Victims:** Morena man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Madhya Pradesh High Court records the following account. A Morena man was picked up at Morena railway station for inquiry on 22 August 1996, suffered severe burn injuries at City Kotwali, Morena, and died in hospital at Gwalior on 24 August 1996. His father alleged that ASI, SI and Head Constable set his son on fire, citing a dying declaration, while the police claimed he slipped into the unlocked Malkhana and set himself ablaze, a version the CID probe accepted. The Court held the CJM had mechanically accepted the closure report without hearing the informant, quashed that acceptance and remitted the matter with liberty to order further investigation. The Court further held that even on the suicide version, keeping the Malkhana unlocked with inflammables inside was gross police negligence, and awarded Rs 3,00,000 compensation against the State for the Article 21 violation. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Once a person is taken into custody of the Police, it is responsibility of the Police to ensure safety of his life.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/975911/)
**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:** 14
**display title redacted:** Morena Man vs State of Madhya Pradesh 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': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2006-02-17', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Madhya Pradesh High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Madhya Pradesh High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 300,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2006(2) MPHT 18', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/975911/', '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:** HC judgment verified; custodial death with gross police negligence, Rs 3 lakh compensation.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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