# Virudhunagar Man v. Government of Tamil Nadu

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0020](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0020)

## Report card

By judgment dated 4 September 2012 in W.P.(MD) No. 1073 of 2007, the Madras High Court (Coram: S. Manikumar, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector, District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar; Head Constable, District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).

- Register number: TN 63 CW 0002
- Case reference: W.P.(MD) No. 1073 of 2007
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: S. Manikumar, J.), 4 September 2012
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar; Head Constable, District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “There are materials to arrive at a conclusion that the authorities have failed to consider the medical evidence in proper perspective. State is vicariously responsible for the violation of human rights and physical torture by the police.” (at para 37)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000).
- 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/56768587/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0020)

**Record:** CW-2012-0020 (compiler id CWC-0737); case SWILLEGA-097
**Title:** Virudhunagar Man v. Government of Tamil Nadu
**Court:** Madras High Court; bench: Madurai; judges: S. Manikumar
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(MD) No. 1073 of 2007
**Judgment:** 2012-09-04 (2012, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2003-06-14 (2003)
**Place:** Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu; city town: Virudhunagar; police station or unit: District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar; 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):** Sub-Inspector, District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar; Head Constable, District Crime Branch, Virudhunagar (2 in record)
**Victims:** Virudhunagar man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 1 lakh (Rs 1,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Virudhunagar man, a vegetable vendor, was twice seized from his home by DCB officers seeking to extract a confession to a 2002 theft, beaten at a guest house and various stations, and held in illegal custody on 14-15 June 2003, sustaining injuries that caused foot drop in his right leg. His wife's telegrams to senior officers, her habeas corpus petition and his complaint to the RDO Sivakasi corroborated the detention, and hospital records showed he told doctors at the earliest point that the police assaulted him. The Court rejected the RDO Aruppukottai's clean-chit report and the State's denial, holding the State vicariously responsible for the human-rights violation and torture. It allowed the writ petition and directed the State to pay Rs 1 lakh compensation within one month, with liberty to recover from the responsible policemen. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> There are materials to arrive at a conclusion that the authorities have failed to consider the medical evidence in proper perspective. State is vicariously responsible for the violation of human rights and physical torture by the police.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/56768587/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**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:** 37
**display title redacted:** Virudhunagar Man v. Government of Tamil Nadu
**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': '2012-09-04', '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 100,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P.(MD) No. 1073 of 2007', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/56768587/', '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 + torture proved by medical evidence, awarded Rs 1 lakh; matches outcome.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2012-0020](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0020)