# Pathanapuram Police Head Constable vs State of Kerala

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2016-0020](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2016-0020)

## Report card

By judgment dated 14 March 2016 in Crl.A. No. 104 of 2008, the Kerala High Court (Coram: P. Ubaid J., J.) affirmed the conviction of the Head Constable, Pathanapuram Police Station.

- Register number: KL 02 CW 0007
- Case reference: Crl.A. No. 104 of 2008 / (2016) 03 KL CK 0089
- Court and date: Kerala High Court (Coram: P. Ubaid J., J.), 14 March 2016
- Officer(s) at the material time: Head Constable, Pathanapuram Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988; Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The conviction made by the court below against the appellant under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the P.C. Act is confirmed.” (at para 10)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Conviction upheld. Sentence: imprisonment and fine; maximum substantive term of 1 year.
- 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://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/571929/a-soman-vs-the-state-of-kerala/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2016-0020)

**Record:** CW-2016-0020 (compiler id CWC-0815); case GAP2-31-001
**Title:** Pathanapuram Police Head Constable vs State of Kerala
**Court:** Kerala High Court; judges: P. Ubaid J.
**Case number / citation:** Crl.A. No. 104 of 2008 / (2016) 03 KL CK 0089
**Judgment:** 2016-03-14 (2016, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2002-08-10 (2002)
**Place:** Kollam, Kerala; city town: Pathanapuram; police station or unit: Pathanapuram Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Bribery & extortion
**Sub-category:** bribery pc act
**Outcome:** Conviction upheld (conviction_upheld)
**Sections:** PC Act 1988 s.7; PC Act 1988 s.13(2) r/w s.13(1)(d)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Head Constable, Pathanapuram Police Station (1 in record)
**Victims:** Pathanapuram woman (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** mixed; max 1 yrs
**Sentence type:** mixed (mixed)

The Kerala High Court (P. Ubaid, J.) confirmed the corruption conviction of Head Constable of Pathanapuram Police Station, caught in a 10 August 2002 VACB trap accepting Rs.1,000 after demanding a bribe to absolve complainant \[name withheld\] from a criminal case forwarded under Section 156(3) CrPC. The Court held sanction valid, demand proved by the complainant and her son, and acceptance proved with the trap witness plus recovery of phenolphthalein-tainted currency from his table drawer, rejecting the vicious-trap defence. Conviction under Sections 7 and 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the PC Act, 1988 was confirmed, but the substantive sentence was reduced to the pre-2014 statutory minimum (SI six months under s.7; SI one year under s.13(2)), with the fine maintained and default sentence cut to SI three months. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> The conviction made by the court below against the appellant under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the P.C. Act is confirmed.

**Sources (2):** [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/571929/a-soman-vs-the-state-of-kerala/); [casemine.com](https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5728e164e561092708a40c97)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** corruption
**admin subcategory:** bribery_pc_act
**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:** 10
**display title redacted:** Pathanapuram Police Head Constable vs State of Kerala
**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': \['court_quote_para'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': None, 'action_type': 'Conviction', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Trial court (as recorded in the Kerala High Court judgment)', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The trial court convicted the accused police personnel, as recorded in the Kerala High Court judgment.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation', 'source': '(2016) 03 KL CK 0089', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}; {'date': '2016-03-14', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Kerala High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Kerala High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the convictions of police personnel.', 'disposition': 'Conviction · Supports allegation (appellate affirmance; trial conviction separate card)', 'source': '(2016) 03 KL CK 0089', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/571929/a-soman-vs-the-state-of-kerala/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.casemine.com/judgement/in/5728e164e561092708a40c97', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** bribery pc act
**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:** PC Act conviction of Head Constable confirmed; jail term cut to statutory minimum, fine maintained.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Conviction upheld.

[Open CW-2016-0020](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2016-0020)