# Arakkandanallur Woman and Others vs The Secretary, Public Department, Government of Tamil Nadu and Another

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0020](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0020)

## Report card

By judgment dated 7 November 2019 in W.P. No. 18315 of 2010, the Madras High Court (Coram: V. Bharathidasan, J.) returned findings adverse to 3 police personnel, namely: Sub-Inspector, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; Head Constable, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; Head Constable, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000).

- Register number: TN 15 CW 0002
- Case reference: W.P. No. 18315 of 2010
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: V. Bharathidasan, J.), 7 November 2019
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; Head Constable, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; Head Constable, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “Since the deceased died while he was in the custody of the police in connection with a criminal case and the death was unnatural, the petitioners are entitled for compensation.” (at para 18)
- 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/96074660/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2019-0020)

**Record:** CW-2019-0020 (compiler id CWC-0739); case GAP5-001
**Title:** Arakkandanallur Woman and Others vs The Secretary, Public Department, Government of Tamil Nadu and Another
**Court:** Madras High Court; judges: V. Bharathidasan
**Case number / citation:** W.P. No. 18315 of 2010
**Judgment:** 2019-11-07 (2019, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2006-08-05 (2006)
**Place:** Villupuram, Tamil Nadu; city town: Arakkandanallur; police station or unit: Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; Head Constable, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram; Head Constable, Arakkandanallur Police Station, Villupuram (3 in record)
**Victims:** Arakkandanallur man, age 26 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 3 lakh (Rs 3,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

An Arakkandanallur man @ an Arakkandanallur man, aged 26, arrested in a prohibition case and detained in the Arakkandanallur police lock-up, was found dead on 5 August 2006 and declared brought dead at the Government Hospital. The family alleged custodial violence; the State contended suicide by hanging due to police negligence. A Revenue Divisional Officer inquiry examining 45 persons concluded suicide without custodial violence but fixed negligence on one Sub-Inspector and two Head Constables, who were suspended and faced criminal proceedings (later quashed in 2014). The Court held it admitted that the deceased died an unnatural death in police custody, applied Supreme Court precedents on State liability, and allowed the writ, quantifying fair compensation at Rs. 3,00,000 less Rs. 1,00,000 already paid, with 9% interest on default. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Since the deceased died while he was in the custody of the police in connection with a criminal case and the death was unnatural, the petitioners are entitled for compensation.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/96074660/)
**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:** 18
**display title redacted:** Arakkandanallur Woman and Others vs The Secretary, Public Department, Government of Tamil Nadu and Another
**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': \['court_quote_para'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2019-11-07', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Madras High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Madras 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. 18315 of 2010', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/96074660/', '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:** HC judgment verified; admitted unnatural custodial death, Rs. 3 lakh total (Rs. 2 lakh additional) on State liability.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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