# Nicobar Police Constable vs Union of India and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0003)

## Report card

By judgment dated 11 March 2019 in WPCT No. 243 of 2018, the Calcutta High Court (Coram: Arijit Banerjee, Amrita Sinha, JJ.) upheld the disciplinary action taken against the Constable, Indian Reserve Battalion, Andaman and Nicobar Police.

- Register number: AN 01 CW 0002
- Case reference: WPCT No. 243 of 2018 / (2019) 03 CAL CK 0034
- Court and date: Calcutta High Court (Coram: Arijit Banerjee, Amrita Sinha, JJ.), 11 March 2019
- Officer(s) at the material time: Constable, Indian Reserve Battalion, Andaman and Nicobar Police
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Section 50 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Rule 3 of the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964
- Finding of the Court (extract): “On 06th October, 2012 he along with three other members of the said battalion were caught red handed for indulging in illegal trade of Wild Water Monitor Lizard.”
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Disciplinary action upheld.
- 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/983689/shri-p-murugeshan-appellant-hash-union-of-india-and-others-respondent/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0003)

**Record:** CW-2019-0003 (compiler id CWC-0296); case PUDUCH-004
**Title:** Nicobar Police Constable vs Union of India and Others
**Court:** Calcutta High Court; judges: Arijit Banerjee; Amrita Sinha
**Case number / citation:** WPCT No. 243 of 2018 / (2019) 03 CAL CK 0034
**Judgment:** 2019-03-11 (2019, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2012-10-06 (2012)
**Place:** South Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands; city town: Port Blair; police station or unit: Indian Reserve Battalion, Andaman and Nicobar Police; force: state_police
**Category:** Other misconduct
**Sub-category:** other
**Outcome:** Disciplinary action upheld (disciplinary_upheld)
**Sections:** Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 s.50; Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 s.51; CCS (Conduct) Rules 1964 r.3
**Officers (gated display forms):** Constable, Indian Reserve Battalion, Andaman and Nicobar Police (1 in record)
**Victims:** Not stated (0 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** None ordered

The Calcutta High Court Division Bench dismissed the writ petition of IRB Constable, caught red-handed with three colleagues on 6 October 2012 illegally trading wild water monitor lizards. The Court upheld the major penalty of forfeiture of five years' future increments with cumulative effect for grave misconduct and gross indiscipline, affirming the Commandant, DGP and CAT orders. It held the subsequent criminal acquittal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act had no bearing on the proved departmental charges. The penalty was held not disproportionate to the gravity of the offence. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> On 06th October, 2012 he along with three other members of the said battalion were caught red handed for indulging in illegal trade of Wild Water Monitor Lizard.

**Sources (2):** [courtkutchehry.com](https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/983689/shri-p-murugeshan-appellant-hash-union-of-india-and-others-respondent/); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/192378653/)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** misconduct
**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
**display title redacted:** Nicobar Police Constable vs Union of India 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': 'wrong_facts', 'corrections_applied': \['court_quote', 'court_quote_para'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2019-03-11', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Calcutta High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Calcutta High Court upheld service punishment imposed on police personnel.', 'disposition': 'Disciplinary action · Procedural only', 'source': '(2019) 03 CAL CK 0034', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.courtkutchehry.com/judgements/983689/shri-p-murugeshan-appellant-hash-union-of-india-and-others-respondent/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/192378653/', '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:** Calcutta HC DB dismissed the writ, confirming the major penalty on the IRB constable; matches disciplinary_upheld.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Disciplinary action upheld.

[Open CW-2019-0003](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0003)