# Nagapattinam Man vs Superintendent of Police, Nagapattinam and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2010-0021](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2010-0021)

## Report card

By judgment dated 8 January 2010 in W.P. No.77 of 2010, the Madras High Court (Coram: K. Chandru, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector of Police, Nagapattinam Town Police Station; Head Constable, Nagapattinam Town Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5.1 lakh (Rs 5,13,195).

- Register number: TN 51 CW 0001
- Case reference: W.P. No.77 of 2010
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: K. Chandru, J.), 8 January 2010
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector of Police, Nagapattinam Town Police Station; Head Constable, Nagapattinam Town Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 59 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “In any event, when there is liability fixed on the State for payment of compensation, the petitioner, who was directly responsible for the State's liability to pay the amount, is also bound to make good the loss.” (at para 8)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 5.1 lakh (Rs 5,13,195).
- 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/1902024/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2010-0021)

**Record:** CW-2010-0021 (compiler id CWC-1283); case GAP3-85-012
**Title:** Nagapattinam Man vs Superintendent of Police, Nagapattinam and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: K. Chandru
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No.77 of 2010
**Judgment:** 2010-01-08 (2010, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2008-01-01 (2008)
**Place:** Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu; city town: Nagapattinam; police station or unit: Nagapattinam Town Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** CrPC s.59; Constitution Art.226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector of Police, Nagapattinam Town Police Station; Head Constable, Nagapattinam Town Police Station (2 in record)
**Victims:** Nagapattinam man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5.1 lakh (Rs 5,13,195)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Madras High Court records the following account. Sub-Inspector challenged the Government order recovering Rs.5,13,195 in equal shares from him and Head Constable toward compensation paid to the widow and minor children of a Nagapattinam man The court recalled that a Division Bench in habeas corpus proceedings had held both policemen responsible for a Nagapattinam man's illegal detention and consequent death, applying the last-seen principle to the missing detenu, and that the Supreme Court had dismissed the State's SLP. The court held that recovery of State-borne tort liability from the guilty officers' salaries was lawful. The writ petition was dismissed with no costs. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> In any event, when there is liability fixed on the State for payment of compensation, the petitioner, who was directly responsible for the State's liability to pay the amount, is also bound to make good the loss.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1902024/)
**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:** 8
**display title redacted:** Nagapattinam Man vs Superintendent of Police, Nagapattinam 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': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2010-01-08', '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 513,195.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P. No.77 of 2010', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1902024/', '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 dismissed SI's writ; upheld equal recovery of Rs.5,13,195 compensation for illegal detention and death of detenu.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2010-0021](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2010-0021)