# Pallavaram Woman v. State of Tamil Nadu and Others

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## Report card

By judgment dated 5 November 2008 in W.P. No. 15229 of 1999, the Madras High Court (Coram: K. Chandru, J.) returned findings adverse to 6 police personnel, namely: Police personnel, Pallavaram Police Station; Sub-Inspector, Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (2352), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (989), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (2150), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (818), Pallavaram Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).

- Register number: TN 11 CW 0001
- Case reference: W.P. No. 15229 of 1999
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: K. Chandru, J.), 5 November 2008
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police personnel, Pallavaram Police Station; Sub-Inspector, Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (2352), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (989), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (2150), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (818), Pallavaram 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): “Since the policemen who were found guilty even by the State have been let out with minor punishments, the action of the State is highly condemnable.” (at para 21)
- 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/824758/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2008-0013)

**Record:** CW-2008-0013 (compiler id CWC-0450); case SWCUSTOD-018
**Title:** Pallavaram Woman v. State of Tamil Nadu and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: K. Chandru
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No. 15229 of 1999
**Judgment:** 2008-11-05 (2008, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1993-06-20 (1993)
**Place:** Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu (district at time: Kancheepuram); city town: Pallavaram; police station or unit: Pallavaram Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police personnel, Pallavaram Police Station; Sub-Inspector, Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (2352), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (989), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (2150), Pallavaram Police Station; Police Constable (818), Pallavaram Police Station (6 in record)
**Victims:** Pallavaram man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Madras High Court records the following account. Justice K. Chandru held that mason a Pallavaram man, picked up on 20.06.1993 over alleged illicit liquor, was tortured to death in Pallavaram police custody and his body returned to his widow for burial on 23.06.1993. The Court noted the State itself had found policemen guilty yet let them off with minor punishments, which it condemned. It awarded Rs.5 lakh compensation to the widow payable within four weeks with a compliance report, and directed the State to proceed against the guilty officers for violating constitutional safeguards, recovering the amount from their salaries if necessary. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Since the policemen who were found guilty even by the State have been let out with minor punishments, the action of the State is highly condemnable.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/824758/)
**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:** 21
**display title redacted:** Pallavaram Woman v. State of Tamil Nadu 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': '2008-11-05', '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.P. No. 15229 of 1999', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/824758/', '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 text verified; custodial torture-death finding with Rs.5L compensation + action vs officers.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2008-0013](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2008-0013)