# M. Ranjani vs The Home Secretary and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2013-0024](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2013-0024)

## Report card

By judgment dated 15 April 2013 in W.P. No.1293 of 2011 and H.C.P. No.43 of 2011, the Madras High Court (Coram: K.N. Basha, P. Devadass, JJ.) returned findings adverse to the accused police personnel, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).

- Register number: TN 69 CW 0003
- Case reference: W.P. No.1293 of 2011 and H.C.P. No.43 of 2011
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: K.N. Basha, P. Devadass, JJ.), 15 April 2013
- Officer(s) at the material time: Not identified in the cited sources (Thisayanvilai Police Station)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 366-A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 224 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “admittedly the victim boy died while he was in police custody and it is also specifically and categorically admitted in the two Status Reports filed by the investigating officer that the victim died due to the lethargic, careless and callous …” (at para 12)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).
- 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/195078954/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2013-0024)

**Record:** CW-2013-0024 (compiler id CWC-0843); case GAP2-39-006
**Title:** M. Ranjani vs The Home Secretary and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: K.N. Basha; P. Devadass
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No.1293 of 2011 and H.C.P. No.43 of 2011
**Judgment:** 2013-04-15 (2013, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2011-01-14 (2011)
**Place:** Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu (district at time: Thirunelveli); city town: Thisayanvilai; police station or unit: Thisayanvilai Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 366-A; IPC 224; IPC 304-A; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** None named
**Victims:** Thisayanvilai man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Madras High Court records the following account. A Thisayanvilai man @ a Thisayanvilai man was arrested on 14.01.2011 in Cr. No.344/2010 (s.366-A IPC, Thisayanvilai P.S.), remanded by the JM Ambasamudram, and died the same day while in escort-police custody being taken to Borstal School, Nanguneri. The Division Bench recorded the CBCID status reports' categorical admission that he died in police custody due to the careless, callous and lethargic attitude of the escort officials, and held his family entitled to compensation. It directed the State to pay Rs.5,00,000 within six weeks. Since the cause of death (alleged road accident vs custodial torture) remained unproved amid differing post-mortem reports, it transferred investigation in Cr. Nos.344/2010 and 11/2011 to the CBI under a DSP-rank officer. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> admittedly the victim boy died while he was in police custody and it is also specifically and categorically admitted in the two Status Reports filed by the investigating officer that the victim died due to the lethargic, careless and callous attitude of the escort police officials.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/195078954/)
**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:** 12
**display title redacted:** M. Ranjani vs The Home Secretary 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': '2013-04-15', '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 500,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P. No.1293 of 2011 and H.C.P. No.43 of 2011', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/195078954/', '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:** Rs.5L compensation for death in escort-police custody due to admitted police negligence; CBI probe ordered.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2013-0024](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2013-0024)