# M. Jeya vs The Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0023](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0023)

## Report card

By judgment dated 18 August 2023 in W.P.(MD) No. 5259 of 2021, the Madras High Court (Coram: P. Dhanabal, J., J.) returned findings adverse to 3 police personnel, namely: Inspector of Police, S.S. Colony Police Station; Sub-Inspector of Police, S.S. Colony Police Station; Police Constable, S.S. Colony Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 25 lakh (Rs 25,00,000).

- Register number: TN 57 CW 0022
- Case reference: W.P.(MD) No. 5259 of 2021 / 2023 LiveLaw (Mad) 256
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: P. Dhanabal, J., J.), 18 August 2023
- Officer(s) at the material time: Inspector of Police, S.S. Colony Police Station; Sub-Inspector of Police, S.S. Colony Police Station; Police Constable, S.S. Colony Police Station
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “It prima facie establishes the fact that the deceased died only while he was in custody of the police. Therefore, this Court can very well invoke the jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to award compensation for …” (at para 10)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 25 lakh (Rs 25,00,000).
- 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://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/m-jeya-v-principal-secretary-490958.pdf); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0023)

**Record:** CW-2023-0023 (compiler id CWC-0366); case TAMILN-002; aliases: CWC-0556
**Title:** M. Jeya vs The Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; bench: Madurai; judges: P. Dhanabal, J.
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(MD) No. 5259 of 2021 / 2023 LiveLaw (Mad) 256
**Judgment:** 2023-08-18 (2023, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2019-01-13 (2019)
**Place:** Madurai, Tamil Nadu; city town: Madurai; police station or unit: S.S. Colony Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution of India Article 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** Inspector of Police, S.S. Colony Police Station; Sub-Inspector of Police, S.S. Colony Police Station; Police Constable, S.S. Colony Police Station (3 in record)
**Victims:** Madurai boy, age 17 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 25 lakh (Rs 25,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court held the State liable for the custodial torture and death of 17-year-old a 17-year-old boy, who was detained by S.S. Colony police in January 2019, assaulted extensively, and succumbed to internal injuries on 24.01.2019. Justice P. Dhanabal held that the record prima facie established that the deceased died while in police custody as a direct consequence of assault. Invoking writ jurisdiction under Article 226 and applying principles from motor accident claims (multiplier method), the Court enhanced the compensation to Rs 25,00,000 with 6% interest per annum, deducting the interim relief of Rs 5 lakh already paid. The Court directed that recovery of the compensation from delinquent police officials would abide by the result of the pending criminal trial.

> It prima facie establishes the fact that the deceased died only while he was in custody of the police. Therefore, this Court can very well invoke the jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to award compensation for the custodial torture by the police.

**Sources (4):** [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/m-jeya-v-principal-secretary-490958.pdf); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/madras-high-court/madras-high-court-custodial-torture-state-to-pay-25-lakh-compensation-to-parents-of-minor-237181); [verdictum.in](https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/high-courts/article-226-madras-high-court-increases-compensation-to-rs-25-lakhs-in-police-custodial-death-case-1493038); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/116687339/)
**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:** True
**court quote para:** 10
**display title redacted:** M. Jeya vs The Principal Secretary to Government, Home Department 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': '2023-08-18', '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 2,500,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2023 LiveLaw (Mad) 256', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/m-jeya-v-principal-secretary-490958.pdf', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/madras-high-court/madras-high-court-custodial-torture-state-to-pay-25-lakh-compensation-to-parents-of-minor-237181', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/high-courts/article-226-madras-high-court-increases-compensation-to-rs-25-lakhs-in-police-custodial-death-case-1493038', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/116687339/', '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 25 lakh compensation for custodial death of 17-year-old boy tortured by S.S. Colony police.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**victims redacted:** {'age': 17, 'gender': 'male', 'descriptor': 'a 17-year-old boy'}
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2023-0023](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0023)