# Ranchi Man vs State of Jharkhand

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0019](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0019)

## Report card

By judgment dated 18 November 2024 in L.P.A. No. 187 of 2015, the Jharkhand High Court (Coram: M.S. Ramachandra Rao, Deepak Roshan, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 2 police personnel, namely: Constable, Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police; Constable, Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 4 lakh (Rs 4,00,000).

- Register number: JH 01 CW 0015
- Case reference: L.P.A. No. 187 of 2015
- Court and date: Jharkhand High Court (Coram: M.S. Ramachandra Rao, Deepak Roshan, JJ.), 18 November 2024
- Officer(s) at the material time: Constable, Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police; Constable, Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police
- 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): “Thus, from the facts narrated herein above, it is crystal clear that due to the negligence of the two constables who were deputed for custody of the husband of the petitioner, who was suffering from "Psychotic Depression", the appellant's husband …” (at para 6)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 4 lakh (Rs 4,00,000).
- 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/54706713/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0019)

**Record:** CW-2024-0019 (compiler id CWC-0174); case JHARKH-004
**Title:** Ranchi Man vs State of Jharkhand
**Court:** Jharkhand High Court; judges: M.S. Ramachandra Rao; Deepak Roshan
**Case number / citation:** L.P.A. No. 187 of 2015
**Judgment:** 2024-11-18 (2024, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2012-06-29 (2012)
**Place:** Ranchi, Jharkhand; city town: Ranchi; police station or unit: Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police; 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):** Constable, Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police; Constable, Custody guard, RINPAS Ranchi, Jharkhand Police (2 in record)
**Victims:** Ranchi man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 4 lakh (Rs 4,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Ranchi man, an undertrial prisoner remanded in judicial custody and admitted to RINPAS Ranchi for psychotic depression, escaped on 29 June 2012 when the two police constables deputed to guard him were absent from their posts, and was found dead later that day on a railway track. Overruling the Single Judge's dismissal, the Division Bench of the Jharkhand High Court held that the deceased was in legal custody and that the State had failed in its constitutional duty to protect his life. The High Court directed the State of Jharkhand to pay Rs. 4,00,000 compensation to the deceased's widow under Article 226. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Thus, from the facts narrated herein above, it is crystal clear that due to the negligence of the two constables who were deputed for custody of the husband of the petitioner, who was suffering from "Psychotic Depression", the appellant's husband escaped and finally his dead body was found.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/54706713/); [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/75455348/)
**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:** 6
**display title redacted:** Ranchi Man vs State of Jharkhand
**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': '2024-11-18', '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 400,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'L.P.A. No. 187 of 2015', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/54706713/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/75455348/', '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:** Division Bench set aside writ court dismissal and awarded Rs 4 lakh compensation for death of undertrial who escaped RINPAS custody due to constable negligence.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2024-0019](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0019)