# Devigarh Man and Others vs State of Punjab and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2014-0035](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2014-0035)

## Report card

By judgment dated 19 November 2014 in CWP No. 5710 of 1998 (O&M), the Punjab and Haryana High Court (Coram: Ritu Bahri, J.) returned findings adverse to the Constable (Punjab Home Guard), Police Station Julka, Patiala, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 23.3 lakh (Rs 23,25,800).

- Register number: PB 11 CW 0005
- Case reference: CWP No. 5710 of 1998 (O&M)
- Court and date: Punjab and Haryana High Court (Coram: Ritu Bahri, J.), 19 November 2014
- Officer(s) at the material time: Constable (Punjab Home Guard), Police Station Julka, Patiala
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Article 226 of the Constitution of India; Article 227 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The very fact that \[name withheld\] used his official rifle to kill Dr. A Devigarh man, the victim i.e. the present petitioner is liable to be compensated for the act committed by PHG Volunteer, appointed by the Government.” (at para 16)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 23.3 lakh (Rs 23,25,800).
- 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/182667369/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2014-0035)

**Record:** CW-2014-0035 (compiler id CWC-0895); case GAP2-51-002
**Title:** Devigarh Man and Others vs State of Punjab and Others
**Court:** Punjab and Haryana High Court; judges: Ritu Bahri
**Case number / citation:** CWP No. 5710 of 1998 (O&M)
**Judgment:** 2014-11-19 (2014, day precision)
**Incident date:** 1997-08-15 (1997)
**Place:** Patiala, Punjab; city town: Devigarh; police station or unit: Police Station Julka, Patiala; force: state_police
**Category:** Other misconduct
**Sub-category:** other
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** IPC 302; Constitution Art. 226; Constitution Art. 227
**Officers (gated display forms):** Constable (Punjab Home Guard), Police Station Julka, Patiala (1 in record)
**Victims:** Devigarh man, age 39 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 23.3 lakh (Rs 23,25,800)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court records the following account. On 15.08.1997 Punjab Home Guard Constable, posted at PS Julka, Patiala, came with his official rifle to Dhaliwal Nursing Home at Devigarh and shot Dr. A Devigarh man in the chest; the doctor was declared dead at Rajendra Hospital, Patiala, and \[name withheld\] then killed himself with the same rifle, leading to FIR No.87/1997 u/s 302 IPC and an accepted cancellation report. The court rejected the State plea of private-capacity personal enmity, holding that the official rifle entrusted for duty made the State-appointed volunteer's act compensable by the State. Applying Nilabati Behera strict liability under Art.226 and computing on Rajesh vs Rajbir Singh (salary Rs.8,800, multiplier 16 plus consortium/care/funeral heads), it allowed the petition and awarded Rs.23,25,800 to the widow, children and mother within four months. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> The very fact that \[name withheld\] used his official rifle to kill Dr. A Devigarh man, the victim i.e. the present petitioner is liable to be compensated for the act committed by PHG Volunteer, appointed by the Government.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/182667369/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** other
**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:** 16
**display title redacted:** Devigarh Man and Others vs State of Punjab 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': \['court_quote', 'court_quote_para'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2014-11-19', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Punjab and Haryana High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Punjab and Haryana High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 2,325,800.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'CWP No. 5710 of 1998 (O&M)', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/182667369/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** other
**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:** Judgment verified; Home Guard constable with entrusted official rifle killed civilian; Rs.23.25 lakh compensation ordered.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2014-0035](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2014-0035)