# Raninagar Man vs The State of West Bengal and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2017-0009](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2017-0009)

## Report card

By judgment dated 6 September 2017 in W.P. No. 16457 (W) of 2015, the Calcutta High Court (Coram: Debangsu Basak, J.) returned findings adverse to the accused police personnel, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).

- Register number: WB 57 CW 0001
- Case reference: W.P. No. 16457 (W) of 2015
- Court and date: Calcutta High Court (Coram: Debangsu Basak, J.), 6 September 2017
- Officer(s) at the material time: Not identified in the cited sources (Raninagar Police Station area (per interim order; final judgment names no PS))
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “The death occurred at the time when the accused was admittedly in the custody of the police on such date. The explanation and justification of the cause of death are issues, which are to be considered in the appropriate criminal …” (at para n/a)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).
- 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/165043988/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2017-0009)

**Record:** CW-2017-0009 (compiler id CWC-0427); case WESTBE-004
**Title:** Raninagar Man vs The State of West Bengal and Others
**Court:** Calcutta High Court; judges: Debangsu Basak
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No. 16457 (W) of 2015
**Judgment:** 2017-09-06 (2017, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2014-02-15 (2014)
**Place:** Murshidabad, West Bengal; city town: Raninagar; police station or unit: Raninagar Police Station area (per interim order; final judgment names no PS); force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** None named (0 in record)
**Victims:** Raninagar man, age 18 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Raninagar man (18) died in police custody on 15 February 2014, taken into custody in the afternoon and found dead the same evening, with the State claiming he hanged himself in the male-lockup latrine and opposing compensation citing a pending criminal proceeding. His widow \[name withheld\] limited her writ claim to compensation for custodial death. The Calcutta High Court held custody at the time of death was established, distinguished Dalbir Singh, and held the pending case did not denude her right to compensation. It directed the State to pay Rs 3 lakh within six weeks, leaving other heirs free to claim further compensation before the appropriate forum. District and police station are per the interim order and HRW report (Raninagar PS, Murshidabad); the final judgment names no station. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> The death occurred at the time when the accused was admittedly in the custody of the police on such date. The explanation and justification of the cause of death are issues, which are to be considered in the appropriate criminal proceeding. The fact that one of the police officers has been proceeded against also will not denude the right of the petitioner to receive compensation for custodial death of her husband.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/165043988/); [hrw.org](https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/india1216_web_0.pdf)
**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:** n/a
**display title redacted:** Raninagar Man vs The State of West Bengal 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': '2017-09-06', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Calcutta High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Calcutta High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 300,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P. No. 16457 (W) of 2015', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/165043988/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/india1216_web_0.pdf', '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 3 lakh for custodial death; custody at death admitted, pending case no bar.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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