# Dhanbad Man and Ors. vs The State of Jharkhand and Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0017](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0017)

## Report card

By judgment dated 3 July 2023 in W.P.(Cr.) No. 48 of 2017, the Jharkhand High Court (Coram: Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, J.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Officer-in-Charge, Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia PS, Dhanbad; Munshi, Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia PS, Dhanbad, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).

- Register number: JH 10 CW 0013
- Case reference: W.P.(Cr.) No. 48 of 2017
- Court and date: Jharkhand High Court (Coram: Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, J.), 3 July 2023
- Officer(s) at the material time: Officer-in-Charge, Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia PS, Dhanbad; Munshi, Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia PS, Dhanbad
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India; Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 176(1A) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
- Finding of the Court (extract): “State is bound for compensation for violation of human rights as death was occurred in police custody by the torture of the police officials.” (at para 19)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000).
- 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/58705178/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0017)

**Record:** CW-2023-0017 (compiler id CWC-0173); case SWCUSTOD-014
**Title:** Dhanbad Man and Ors. vs The State of Jharkhand and Ors.
**Court:** Jharkhand High Court; judges: Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(Cr.) No. 48 of 2017
**Judgment:** 2023-07-03 (2023, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2015-06-23 (2015)
**Place:** Dhanbad, Jharkhand; city town: Dhanbad; police station or unit: Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia Police Station, Dhanbad; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution Art. 226; IPC 302; IPC 201; CrPC s.176(1A)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Officer-in-Charge, Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia PS, Dhanbad; Munshi, Ghanudih Outpost, Jharia PS, Dhanbad (2 in record)
**Victims:** Dhanbad man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 5 lakh (Rs 5,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Dhanbad man was taken into custody on 23 June 2015 by the Munshi of Ghanudih Outpost at the instance of the Officer-in-Charge, and was found dead the following morning inside the police lockup bearing severe physical injuries. A judicial inquiry by the CJM Dhanbad confirmed that the victim died in police custody due to police torture, despite police claims of suicide by hanging. Exercising writ jurisdiction under Article 226, the Jharkhand High Court held the State liable for violation of human rights and awarded Rs. 5,00,000 compensation to the deceased's widow and children, directing the Director General of Police to initiate departmental proceedings against the erring police officials with liberty to recover the compensation from them. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> State is bound for compensation for violation of human rights as death was occurred in police custody by the torture of the police officials.

**Sources (3):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/58705178/); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/jharkhand-high-court/jharkhand-high-court-5-lakh-compensation-widow-custodial-death-victim-232025); [verdictum.in](https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/high-courts/state-bound-for-compensation-for-violation-of-human-rights-for-custodial-death-1484101)
**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:** 19
**display title redacted:** Dhanbad Man and Ors. vs The State of Jharkhand and Ors.
**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': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2023-07-03', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Jharkhand High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Jharkhand High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 500,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P.(Cr.) No. 48 of 2017', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/58705178/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/jharkhand-high-court/jharkhand-high-court-5-lakh-compensation-widow-custodial-death-victim-232025', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/high-courts/state-bound-for-compensation-for-violation-of-human-rights-for-custodial-death-1484101', '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:** High Court awarded Rs 5 lakh compensation and directed departmental proceedings for custodial death of a Dhanbad man due to torture at Ghanudih police outpost.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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