# Gondia Police Police Sub-Inspector v. State of Maharashtra

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2011-0012](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2011-0012)

## Report card

By judgment dated 12 July 2011 in Criminal Appeal Nos. 64, 65, 71, 76, 77 and 88 of 1997, the Bombay High Court (Coram: A.H. Joshi, J.) affirmed the conviction of 7 police personnel, namely: Police Sub-Inspector; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable.

- Register number: MH 35 CW 0003
- Case reference: Criminal Appeal Nos. 64, 65, 71, 76, 77 and 88 of 1997
- Court and date: Bombay High Court (Coram: A.H. Joshi, J.), 12 July 2011
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police Sub-Inspector; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 331 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 330 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 348 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 387 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 218 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 202 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract): “In the result, this Court concludes that based on facts proved by the prosecution, it has succeeded in proving all charges, except the proof of destruction of evidence as regards dead body.” (at para 111)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction upheld. Sentence: imprisonment; maximum substantive term of 7 years.
- 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/708824/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2011-0012)

**Record:** CW-2011-0012 (compiler id CWC-0456); case SWCUSTOD-026
**Title:** Gondia Police Police Sub-Inspector v. State of Maharashtra
**Court:** Bombay High Court; bench: Nagpur; judges: A.H. Joshi
**Case number / citation:** Criminal Appeal Nos. 64, 65, 71, 76, 77 and 88 of 1997
**Judgment:** 2011-07-12 (2011, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1995-12-07 (1995)
**Place:** Gondia, Maharashtra (district at time: Bhandara); city town: Gondia; police station or unit: Gondia City Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Conviction upheld (conviction_upheld)
**Sections:** IPC 304 Part II; IPC 331; IPC 330; IPC 348; IPC 387; IPC 218; IPC 202; IPC 34
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police Sub-Inspector; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable; Police Constable (7 in record)
**Victims:** Gondia man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** imprisonment; max 7 yrs
**Sentence type:** imprisonment (imprisonment)

The Nagpur Bench upheld the convictions of a Sub-Inspector and six constables for the custodial torture and homicidal death of theft suspect \[name withheld\] at Gondia City station in December 1995, whose body was burnt to screen the offence. The Court held all charges proved except destruction of evidence regarding the dead body, maintaining the sentences including seven years under Section 304-II, and dismissed the State's appeal for murder charges. The Supreme Court later delivered a split verdict on 25.09.2024 (2024 INSC 734) and referred the matter to a larger bench, where it remains pending.

> In the result, this Court concludes that based on facts proved by the prosecution, it has succeeded in proving all charges, except the proof of destruction of evidence as regards dead body.

**Sources (3):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/708824/); [verdictum.in](https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/supreme-court/custodial-deathsc-delivers-split-verdict-1995-case-came-up-in-appeal-before-it-after-12-yrs-1540487); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1409555/)
**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:** 111
**display title redacted:** Gondia Police Police Sub-Inspector v. State of Maharashtra
**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': \['officers'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': None, 'action_type': 'Conviction', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Trial court (as recorded in the Bombay High Court judgment)', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The trial court convicted the accused police personnel, as recorded in the Bombay High Court judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': 'Criminal Appeal Nos. 64, 65, 71, 76, 77 and 88 of 1997', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}; {'date': '2011-07-12', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Bombay High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Bombay High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the convictions of police personnel.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation (appellate affirmance; trial conviction separate card)', 'source': 'Criminal Appeal Nos. 64, 65, 71, 76, 77 and 88 of 1997', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/708824/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/supreme-court/custodial-deathsc-delivers-split-verdict-1995-case-came-up-in-appeal-before-it-after-12-yrs-1540487', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1409555/', '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; convictions upheld but SC split 25.09.2024, larger-bench reference pending.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction upheld.

[Open CW-2011-0012](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2011-0012)