# Pollachi Man and \[name withheld\] vs The Secretary to Government & Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0028](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0028)

## Report card

By judgment dated 10 April 2012 in W.P. Nos. 8910 and 9106 of 2009, the Madras High Court (Coram: K. Chandru, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Special Sub-Inspector of Police, Pollachi West Police Station, Coimbatore District; Inspector of Police, Coastal Security Group (formerly Sub-Inspector, Pollachi West Police Station), and directed payment of compensation of Rs 4.5 lakh (Rs 4,50,000).

- Register number: TN 37 CW 0002
- Case reference: W.P. Nos. 8910 and 9106 of 2009
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: K. Chandru, J.), 10 April 2012
- Officer(s) at the material time: Special Sub-Inspector of Police, Pollachi West Police Station, Coimbatore District; Inspector of Police, Coastal Security Group (formerly Sub-Inspector, Pollachi West Police Station)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 21 of the Constitution of India; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It is not as if the petitioners can indulge in illegal acts for which the State has only vicarious liability, whereas the liability of the petitioners is direct.” (at para 13)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: fine. Compensation: Rs 4.5 lakh (Rs 4,50,000).
- 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/7349705/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0028)

**Record:** CW-2012-0028 (compiler id CWC-1288); case GAP3-86-002
**Title:** Pollachi Man and \[name withheld\] vs The Secretary to Government & Ors.
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: K. Chandru
**Case number / citation:** W.P. Nos. 8910 and 9106 of 2009
**Judgment:** 2012-04-10 (2012, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1997-06-13 (1997)
**Place:** Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu; city town: Pollachi; police station or unit: Pollachi West Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art.21; Constitution Art.226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Special Sub-Inspector of Police, Pollachi West Police Station, Coimbatore District; Inspector of Police, Coastal Security Group (formerly Sub-Inspector, Pollachi West Police Station) (2 in record)
**Victims:** Pollachi man, age 40 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** fine; Rs 4.5 lakh (Rs 4,50,000)
**Sentence type:** fine (fine)

The Madras High Court dismissed writ petitions by Special Sub-Inspector and Inspector challenging the recovery of Rs.1,93,548 and Rs.2,56,452 from their salaries toward the compensation the State paid for the 1997 custodial death of lorry driver \[name withheld\] at Pollachi West police station. The court held that the findings of third-degree torture recorded in the earlier compensation judgment (W.P. No.19702 of 2000) had become final and could not be collaterally challenged. It held that the officers' acquittal in the criminal trial and the outcomes of departmental proceedings did not debar recovery, since the State, having paid compensation on vicarious liability, was entitled to be indemnified by the officers whose liability was direct. Both writ petitions were dismissed and the recovery orders sustained. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> It is not as if the petitioners can indulge in illegal acts for which the State has only vicarious liability, whereas the liability of the petitioners is direct.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/7349705/)
**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:** 13
**display title redacted:** Pollachi Man and \[name withheld\] vs The Secretary to Government & Ors.
**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': '2012-04-10', '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 450,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P. Nos. 8910 and 9106 of 2009', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/7349705/', '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 officers' writs; recovery of custodial-death compensation from two policemen upheld.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2012-0028](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2012-0028)