# Sono Man vs The State Of Bihar & Ors

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2015-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2015-0004)

## Report card

By judgment dated 20 March 2015 in Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 13577 of 2010, the Patna High Court (Coram: Hemant Kumar Srivastava, J.) returned findings adverse to the Officer-in-Charge, Sono Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 20 lakh (Rs 20,00,000).

- Register number: BR 46 CW 0001
- Case reference: Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 13577 of 2010 / AIR 2015 PATNA 141, (2015) 4 PAT LJR 277
- Court and date: Patna High Court (Coram: Hemant Kumar Srivastava, J.), 20 March 2015
- Officer(s) at the material time: Officer-in-Charge, Sono 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): “In the present case, it is prima facie established that fundamental right of the deceased was violated by the officials of State Government while he was lodged in jail custody and, therefore, in my view, the State cannot escape from …” (at para 13)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 20 lakh (Rs 20,00,000).
- 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/105046068/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2015-0004)

**Record:** CW-2015-0004 (compiler id CWC-0049); case BIHAR2-001
**Title:** Sono Man vs The State Of Bihar & Ors
**Court:** Patna High Court; judges: Hemant Kumar Srivastava
**Case number / citation:** Civil Writ Jurisdiction Case No. 13577 of 2010 / AIR 2015 PATNA 141, (2015) 4 PAT LJR 277
**Judgment:** 2015-03-20 (2015, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2010-04-11 (2010)
**Place:** Jamui, Bihar; city town: Sono; police station or unit: Sono Police Station / Jamui District Jail; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution of India Art. 21; Constitution of India Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Officer-in-Charge, Sono Police Station (1 in record)
**Victims:** Sono man, age 28 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 20 lakh (Rs 20,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Patna High Court allowed a writ petition filed by Sunaina Devi seeking compensation for the custodial death of her husband, a Sono man, who died on April 11, 2010 after being arrested by Sono police and lodged in Jamui District Jail. The inquiry records and medical evidence revealed that the deceased was brought to jail with severe external injury marks, and the post-mortem doctor confirmed excessive hemorrhage from assault leading to cardiorespiratory failure. Holding that the fundamental right to life under Article 21 was violated by State officials while the deceased was in custody, the Court directed the State of Bihar to pay Rs. 20,00,000 compensation to the petitioner and the victim's family, with liberty to initiate disciplinary proceedings against responsible officials. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> In the present case, it is prima facie established that fundamental right of the deceased was violated by the officials of State Government while he was lodged in jail custody and, therefore, in my view, the State cannot escape from the liabilities of making payment of compensation to the legal heirs of the deceased.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/105046068/)
**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:** Sono Man vs The State Of Bihar & 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': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2015-03-20', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Patna High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Patna High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 2,000,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'AIR 2015 PATNA 141, (2015) 4 PAT LJR 277', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/105046068/', '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:** Patna HC found custodial death due to assault in custody and awarded Rs. 20,00,000 compensation to deceased widow and family.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2015-0004](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2015-0004)