# Bhadrak Man v. State of Odisha & Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0030](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0030)

## Report card

By judgment dated 8 February 2024 in W.P.(C) No. 27928 of 2023, the Orissa High Court (Coram: S. K. Panigrahi, J.) returned findings adverse to the Police personnel, Odisha Police escort party, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000).

- Register number: OD 22 CW 0001
- Case reference: W.P.(C) No. 27928 of 2023
- Court and date: Orissa High Court (Coram: S. K. Panigrahi, J.), 8 February 2024
- Officer(s) at the material time: Police personnel, Odisha Police escort party
- 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): “Therefore, this Court comes to the conclusion that it is a case of custodial death and the authorities are responsible for the same.” (at para 26)
- 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://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/basanti-puhan-v-state-of-odisha-08-february-2024-528090.pdf); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2024-0030)

**Record:** CW-2024-0030 (compiler id CWC-0866); case GAP2-44-001
**Title:** Bhadrak Man v. State of Odisha & Ors.
**Court:** Orissa High Court; judges: S. K. Panigrahi
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(C) No. 27928 of 2023
**Judgment:** 2024-02-08 (2024, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2018-04-16 (2018)
**Place:** Bhadrak, Odisha; 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, Odisha Police escort party (0 in record)
**Victims:** Bhadrak man, age 22 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 2 lakh (Rs 2,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

The Orissa High Court held that the death of 22-year-old a Bhadrak man, who fell from a running train on 16 April 2018 while being escorted by Odisha police from Kolkata to Bhadrak after his arrest in Goa, was a custodial death for which the authorities are responsible and the State vicariously liable. The Court found the police owed a duty of care to the arrested person and held that foul play could not be ruled out. Since investigation and departmental inquiry were still pending, the Court awarded Rs.2,00,000 as interim compensation. It directed the State to deposit the amount in the Court within ten weeks, without prejudice to the legal representatives' right to claim compensation in private law proceedings. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> Therefore, this Court comes to the conclusion that it is a case of custodial death and the authorities are responsible for the same.

**Sources (2):** [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/basanti-puhan-v-state-of-odisha-08-february-2024-528090.pdf); [livelaw.in](https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/orissa-high-court/orissa-high-court-orders-compensation-death-police-custody-252283)
**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:** 26
**display title redacted:** Bhadrak Man v. State of Odisha & 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': \[\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2024-02-08', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Orissa High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Orissa High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 200,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P.(C) No. 27928 of 2023', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/pdf_upload/basanti-puhan-v-state-of-odisha-08-february-2024-528090.pdf', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/orissa-high-court/orissa-high-court-orders-compensation-death-police-custody-252283', '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:** Orissa HC held death in police escort a custodial death and ordered Rs.2 lakh interim compensation.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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