# S. M. vs State Of Kerala

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2008-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2008-0003)

## Report card

By judgment dated 13 February 2008 in O.P. No. 26679 of 2002, the Kerala High Court (Coram: A.K. Basheer, J.) returned findings adverse to 4 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Head Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Head Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Police Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).

- Register number: KL 03 CW 0001
- Case reference: O.P. No. 26679 of 2002
- Court and date: Kerala High Court (Coram: A.K. Basheer, J.), 13 February 2008
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Head Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Head Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Police Constable, Keezhvaipur 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): “UNVERIFIED — stated para-39 Article-21 quote absent from accessible judgment text (paras 32-40 missing from source). Replace with verified para-28 text: 'there had been a concerted effort on the part of the Police to fabricate or create documents apparently in …” (at para 39)
- 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/808112/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2008-0003)

**Record:** CW-2008-0003 (compiler id CWC-0214); case KERALA-014
**Title:** S. M. vs State Of Kerala
**Court:** Kerala High Court; judges: A.K. Basheer
**Case number / citation:** O.P. No. 26679 of 2002
**Judgment:** 2008-02-13 (2008, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1999-06-30 (1999)
**Place:** Pathanamthitta, Kerala; city town: Mallappally; police station or unit: Keezhvaipur 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 21; Constitution of India Article 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Head Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Head Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station; Police Constable, Keezhvaipur Police Station (4 in record)
**Victims:** Mallappally man, age 26; Mallappally woman; Mallappally boy, age 3 (3 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Kerala High Court records the following account. a man was taken into illegal police custody on June 29, 1999, detained for over 24 hours at Keezhvaipur Police Station without registration of any case, and died of fatal internal abdominal injuries on June 30, 1999. The Kerala High Court held that the police's version was fabricated to conceal custodial torture, establishing a clear violation of Article 21 of the Constitution. Holding the State tortiously liable for the acts of its police officers, the High Court directed payment of Rs. 5,00,000 compensation with 9% interest to the victim's widow and minor son, and transferred the criminal investigation into the custodial death to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> UNVERIFIED — stated para-39 Article-21 quote absent from accessible judgment text (paras 32-40 missing from source). Replace with verified para-28 text: 'there had been a concerted effort on the part of the Police to fabricate or create documents apparently in a bid to camouflage or cover up the real incident.'

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/808112/)
**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:** 39
**display title redacted:** S. M. 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': 'wrong_facts', 'corrections_applied': \['court_quote'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2008-02-13', '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 500,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'O.P. No. 26679 of 2002', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/808112/', '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:** Kerala High Court found custodial torture and death of Mohanan in illegal police custody, awarding Rs. 5 lakh compensation and transferring probe to CBI.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**victims redacted:** {'age': 26, 'gender': 'male', 'descriptor': 'a man'}; {'age': None, 'gender': 'female', 'descriptor': 'a woman'}; {'age': 3, 'gender': 'male', 'descriptor': 'a 3-year-old boy'}
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2008-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2008-0003)