# Titagarh Man vs The State of West Bengal & Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0040](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0040)

## Report card

By judgment dated 25 April 2023 in WPA 7882 of 2022, the Calcutta High Court (Coram: Shampa Sarkar, J.) returned findings adverse to the Sub-Inspector, Titagarh Police Station, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).

- Register number: WB 21 CW 0005
- Case reference: WPA 7882 of 2022 / 2023 LiveLaw (Cal) 116, 2023 Supreme(Cal) 500
- Court and date: Calcutta High Court (Coram: Shampa Sarkar, J.), 25 April 2023
- Officer(s) at the material time: Sub-Inspector, Titagarh Police Station
- 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; Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973; Section 21(c) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985
- Finding of the Court (extract): “However, the sequence of events and the discrepancies and irregularities which have been pointed out hereinabove indicate that the police authorities failed to discharge their duty in accordance with law. Disturbing features have been noticed by the court in the …” (at para 37)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).
- 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/22026689/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0040)

**Record:** CW-2023-0040 (compiler id CWC-0421); case WESTBE-002; aliases: CWC-0932; CWC-1473
**Title:** Titagarh Man vs The State of West Bengal & Ors.
**Court:** Calcutta High Court; judges: Shampa Sarkar
**Case number / citation:** WPA 7882 of 2022 / 2023 LiveLaw (Cal) 116, 2023 Supreme(Cal) 500
**Judgment:** 2023-04-25 (2023, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2022-03-09 (2022)
**Place:** North 24 Parganas, West Bengal; city town: Titagarh; police station or unit: Titagarh Police Station; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** illegal detention false imprisonment
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Constitution of India Art. 21; Constitution of India Art. 226; CrPC s.151; NDPS Act 1985 s.21(c)
**Officers (gated display forms):** Sub-Inspector, Titagarh Police Station (1 in record)
**Victims:** Titagarh man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Calcutta High Court held that the arrest and detention of a Titagarh man by Titagarh police on March 9, 2022 demonstrated abuse of power and procedural irregularities. Shukla was picked up in plainclothes without notice following municipal elections, allegedly assaulted, and later booked under Section 21(c) of the NDPS Act, while police station CCTV footage was destroyed. The Court noted multiple lapses including unjustified invocation of Section 151 CrPC and destruction of material evidence. While declining to quash the chargesheet or transfer the investigation, the Court awarded Rs. 2,00,000 compensation to the petitioner family for violation of human dignity, recoverable from erring officers after an inquiry by the Commissioner of Barrackpore Police Commissionerate. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> However, the sequence of events and the discrepancies and irregularities which have been pointed out hereinabove indicate that the police authorities failed to discharge their duty in accordance with law. Disturbing features have been noticed by the court in the process of arrest of a Titagarh man on March 9, 2022, and further arrest on March 10, 2022 for commission of offence under the NDPS Act.

**Sources (4):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/22026689/); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/calcutta-high-court/calcutta-high-court-cctv-footage-destructed-lapses-arrest-2-lakh-compensation-man-implicated-falsely-ndps-act-police-227189); [scconline.com](https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2023/04/28/writ-petition-calcutta-high-court-police-atrocity-violation-fundamental-rights-compensation-scc-blog-legal-research-news/); [barandbench.com](https://www.barandbench.com/news/calcutta-high-court-orders-2-lakh-compensation-lapses-mans-arrest)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** misconduct
**admin subcategory:** illegal_detention_false_imprisonment
**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
**court quote para:** 37
**display title redacted:** Titagarh Man vs The State of West Bengal & 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': 'holds', 'corrections_applied': \[\]}; {'date': '2026-09-25', 'scope': 'Audit fix: duplicate record CW-2023-0011 (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': '2023-04-25', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Calcutta High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Calcutta High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 200,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': '2023 LiveLaw (Cal) 116, 2023 Supreme(Cal) 500', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-25
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/22026689/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/calcutta-high-court/calcutta-high-court-cctv-footage-destructed-lapses-arrest-2-lakh-compensation-man-implicated-falsely-ndps-act-police-227189', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/2023/04/28/writ-petition-calcutta-high-court-police-atrocity-violation-fundamental-rights-compensation-scc-blog-legal-research-news/', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** illegal detention false imprisonment
**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 High Court found police abuse of power, illegal detention, and destruction of station CCTV footage, awarding Rs. 2 lakh compensation.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2023-0040](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2023-0040)