# Gowtham vs Senior Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell CBCID Mumbai and Another

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## Report card

By judgment dated 24 August 2010 in W.P. No.2933 of 1997, the Madras High Court (Coram: S. Nagamuthu, J.) returned findings adverse to 7 police personnel, namely: Senior Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai-1; Sub-Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai; Deputy Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai-1; Sub-Inspector of Police, Tamil Nadu police (assisted identification at Tuticorin); Police Constable, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai; Head Constable, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai; Night Police Inspector, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 2,50,000).

- Register number: MH 01 CW 0006
- Case reference: W.P. No.2933 of 1997
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: S. Nagamuthu, J.), 24 August 2010
- Officer(s) at the material time: Senior Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai-1; Sub-Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai; Deputy Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai-1; Sub-Inspector of Police, Tamil Nadu police (assisted identification at Tuticorin); Police Constable, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai; Head Constable, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai; Night Police Inspector, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “To sum up, I have to state that the deceased was arrested on 20.2.1997 illegally, the arrest was not intimated to the relatives, the grounds of arrest were not informed to the deceased, he was kept in the illegal custody …” (at para 18)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 2,50,000).
- 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/1519892/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2010-0032)

**Record:** CW-2010-0032 (compiler id CWC-1278); case GAP3-85-007
**Title:** Gowtham vs Senior Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell CBCID Mumbai and Another
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: S. Nagamuthu
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No.2933 of 1997
**Judgment:** 2010-08-24 (2010, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1997-03-01 (1997)
**Place:** Mumbai, Maharashtra; city town: Mumbai; police station or unit: Azad Maidan Police Station lock-up, Mumbai (taken from Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu); force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** illegal detention false imprisonment
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Senior Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai-1; Sub-Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai; Deputy Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell, CBCID, Mumbai-1; Sub-Inspector of Police, Tamil Nadu police (assisted identification at Tuticorin); Police Constable, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai; Head Constable, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai; Night Police Inspector, Azad Maidan Police Station, Mumbai (7 in record)
**Victims:** Mumbai man, age 57 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2.5 lakh (Rs 2,50,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Madras High Court records the following account. Mumbai Narcotic Cell police took a Mumbai man, aged about 57, into custody at Tuticorin on 20.2.1997 for interrogation in NDPS Crime No.18/1997, showed arrest only on 25.2.1997, and lodged him in the Azad Maidan lock-up, where he died on 1.3.1997. Though the autopsy and CBI found death by natural disease without injuries, the CBI confirmed transit-remand procedure was skipped and no medical examination was done. The Court held the arrest illegal, custody till 25.2.1997 illegal, and the deceased denied legal and medical assistance despite acute asthma and put to enormous mental torture. It directed the State of Maharashtra to pay Rs.2,50,000 compensation to the family. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> To sum up, I have to state that the deceased was arrested on 20.2.1997 illegally, the arrest was not intimated to the relatives, the grounds of arrest were not informed to the deceased, he was kept in the illegal custody till 25.2.1997, no legal assistance was given to him, no medical assistance was given to him up to 1.3.1997 and he was put under enormous mental torture. For all these things alone, the 1st respondent is liable to pay compensation.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1519892/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** misconduct
**admin subcategory:** illegal_detention_false_imprisonment
**allegations:** {'category': 'Other', '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:** 18
**display title redacted:** Gowtham vs Senior Inspector of Police, Narcotic Cell CBCID Mumbai and Another
**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': '2010-08-24', '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 250,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P. No.2933 of 1997', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1519892/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** illegal detention false imprisonment
**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 held illegal custody, denial of medical aid and mental torture proved; Rs.2.5 lakh compensation.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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