# The Government of Tamil Nadu and Ors. vs R. Dhanalakshmi

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2007-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2007-0004)

## Report card

By judgment dated 11 April 2007 in W.A. No. 1169 of 2004, the Madras High Court (Coram: P. Sathasivam, J., S. Tamilvanan, J., JJ.) returned findings adverse to the Sub-Inspector of Police, Karur Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).

- Register number: TN 47 CW 0002
- Case reference: W.A. No. 1169 of 2004
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: P. Sathasivam, J., S. Tamilvanan, J., JJ.), 11 April 2007
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector of Police, Karur Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “ends of justice would be met by awarding a compensation of Rs.5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakhs only) to the petitioner” (at para 15)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).
- 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/589614/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2007-0004)

**Record:** CW-2007-0004 (compiler id CWC-0376); case TAMILN-012
**Title:** The Government of Tamil Nadu and Ors. vs R. Dhanalakshmi
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: P. Sathasivam, J.; S. Tamilvanan, J.
**Case number / citation:** W.A. No. 1169 of 2004
**Judgment:** 2007-04-11 (2007, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1995-03-23 (1995)
**Place:** Karur, Tamil Nadu (district at time: Tiruchirappalli); city town: Karur; police station or unit: Karur Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution of India Article 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector of Police, Karur Police Station (1 in record)
**Victims:** Karur man, age 29 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Division Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed the State's appeal against the single Judge's order dated 29.10.2003 in W.P. No. 13577 of 1996 and affirmed that a Karur man, aged about 29, died of police torture in Karur custody. The Court recorded that SI took a Karur man from his house at about 5 a.m. on 23.03.1995, that he was tortured and beaten to death, and that the post-mortem showed death by neurogenic shock from chest injuries, corroborated by the Sub-Collector's enquiry under Police Standing Order 145. Holding the family undoubtedly entitled to adequate compensation but cutting the multiplier-based Rs 9 lakh for want of documentary proof of lorry income, the Court fixed Rs 5 lakh total, with the balance over the Rs 3 lakh already paid (Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia plus Rs 2 lakh interim) payable within eight weeks. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> ends of justice would be met by awarding a compensation of Rs.5,00,000/- (Rupees five lakhs only) to the petitioner

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/589614/)
**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:** 15
**display title redacted:** The Government of Tamil Nadu and Ors. vs R. Dhanalakshmi
**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': \['court_quote_para', 'officers'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2007-04-11', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Madras High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Madras High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 500,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.A. No. 1169 of 2004', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/589614/', '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:** Division Bench affirmed a Karur man died of police torture in Karur custody and fixed total compensation at Rs 5 lakh (reducing single Judge's Rs 9 lakh).
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2007-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2007-0004)