# Sonamura Man and Others vs State of Tripura and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2022-0012](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2022-0012)

## Report card

By judgment dated 22 June 2022 in W.P.(C) No. 797 of 2021, the Tripura High Court (Coram: Indrajit Mahanty, S.G. Chattopadhyay, JJ.) returned findings adverse to the Police personnel, Sonamura Police Station (arresting party and lock-up staff), and directed payment of compensation of Rs 10 lakh (Rs 10,00,000).

- Register number: TR 07 CW 0001
- Case reference: W.P.(C) No. 797 of 2021 / 2022 LiveLaw (Trip) 14
- Court and date: Tripura High Court (Coram: Indrajit Mahanty, S.G. Chattopadhyay, JJ.), 22 June 2022
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police personnel, Sonamura Police Station (arresting party and lock-up staff)
- 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 these highly suspicious facts and circumstances of the case custodial violence on the deceased, as alleged, cannot be brushed aside.” (at para 16)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 10 lakh (Rs 10,00,000).
- 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://livelaw-bennett.refread.com/pdf_upload/rasheda-khatun-and-others-v-state-of-tripura-and-others-tripura-hc-423139.pdf); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2022-0012)

**Record:** CW-2022-0012 (compiler id CWC-0852); case NORTHE-005; aliases: CWC-0933
**Title:** Sonamura Man and Others vs State of Tripura and Others
**Court:** Tripura High Court; judges: Indrajit Mahanty; S.G. Chattopadhyay
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(C) No. 797 of 2021 / 2022 LiveLaw (Trip) 14
**Judgment:** 2022-06-22 (2022, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2021-09-14 (2021)
**Place:** Sepahijala, Tripura; city town: Sonamura (Balardhepa); police station or unit: Sonamura Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 21; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Police personnel, Sonamura Police Station (arresting party and lock-up staff) (2 in record)
**Victims:** Sonamura man, age 27 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 10 lakh (Rs 10,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Tripura High Court (Division Bench) held that 27-year-old a Sonamura man @ a Sonamura man died of custodial torture in the Sonamura police lock-up in the night between 14-09-2021 and 15-09-2021. Relying on the magisterial enquiry and post-mortem showing fresh ante-mortem injuries, the court rejected the State's 'fell while fleeing' version as suspicious and held custodial violence could not be brushed aside. It directed the State to deposit Rs 10 lakh with the Registry within four weeks, in equal shares for the widow, three minor children and mother (children's shares in term deposits). It clarified the observations would not bear on any prosecution in connection with the incident. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> In these highly suspicious facts and circumstances of the case custodial violence on the deceased, as alleged, cannot be brushed aside.

**Sources (4):** [livelaw-bennett.refread.com](https://livelaw-bennett.refread.com/pdf_upload/rasheda-khatun-and-others-v-state-of-tripura-and-others-tripura-hc-423139.pdf); [maktoobmedia.com](https://maktoobmedia.com/india/custodial-death-tripura-hc-orders-%e2%82%b910-lakh-compensation-for-muslim-youths-family/); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/rasheda-khatun-and-others-v-state-of-tripura-and-others-tripura-hc-423139.pdf); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/custodial-death-tripura-high-court-orders-compensation-for-family-members-27year-old-victim-202216)
**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:** 16
**display title redacted:** Sonamura Man and Others vs State of Tripura 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': \['sections'\]}; {'date': '2026-09-25', 'scope': 'Audit fix: duplicate record CW-2022-0030 (same court, case number and judgment date) merged into this record; its sources are kept here and its URL redirects here.'}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2022-06-22', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Tripura High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Tripura High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 1,000,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2022 LiveLaw (Trip) 14', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-25
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://livelaw-bennett.refread.com/pdf_upload/rasheda-khatun-and-others-v-state-of-tripura-and-others-tripura-hc-423139.pdf', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://maktoobmedia.com/india/custodial-death-tripura-hc-orders-%e2%82%b910-lakh-compensation-for-muslim-youths-family/', '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:** Tripura HC (DB) held custodial torture killed a Sonamura man in Sonamura lockup; Rs 10L in equal shares.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2022-0012](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2022-0012)