# Karawal Nagar Man vs State (NCT of Delhi) & Ors.

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0040](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0040)

## Report card

By judgment dated 1 July 2026 in W.P.(C) 9558/2020, the Delhi High Court (Coram: Sachin Datta, J.) returned findings adverse to the accused police personnel, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 18.4 lakh (Rs 18,44,400).

- Register number: DL 05 CW 0022
- Case reference: W.P.(C) 9558/2020
- Court and date: Delhi High Court (Coram: Sachin Datta, J.), 1 July 2026
- Officer(s) at the material time: Not identified in the cited sources (Police Station Karawal Nagar)
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: Not stated in the cited sources
- Finding of the Court (extract): “undisputed that the deceased suffered an unnatural death in custody at Police Station Karawal Nagar.” (at para 20)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 18.4 lakh (Rs 18,44,400).
- Present status of the proceedings: The judgment is recent and may be subject to appeal; the pendency of an appeal is not a finding.
- Source orders: [Judgment / order (primary source)](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/28331275/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0040)

**Record:** CW-2026-0040 (compiler id CWC-0678); case GAP7-003
**Title:** Karawal Nagar Man vs State (NCT of Delhi) & Ors.
**Court:** Delhi High Court; judges: Sachin Datta
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(C) 9558/2020
**Judgment:** 2026-07-01 (2026, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2018-01-16 (2018)
**Place:** North East Delhi, Delhi; city town: Karawal Nagar; police station or unit: Police Station Karawal Nagar; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial death
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Officers (gated display forms):** None named (2 in record)
**Victims:** Karawal Nagar man (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 18.4 lakh (Rs 18,44,400)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Karawal Nagar man was arrested on 15 January 2018 by SI and lodged at PS Karawal Nagar, where he was found dead the next morning, reported as suicide by hanging; the father alleged assault, a Rs.20,000-30,000 demand, and a staged suicide pointing to unexplained blades and ligature material in the lock-up. The Court held an unnatural death in custody, whatever its mode, attracts the State's duty to compensate, without adjudicating criminal culpability, noting the departmental enquiry's negligence finding against the station staff. It awarded Rs.18,44,400 (dependency, estate and funeral components) payable within eight weeks. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> undisputed that the deceased suffered an unnatural death in custody at Police Station Karawal Nagar.

**Sources (1):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/28331275/)
**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:** 20
**display title redacted:** Karawal Nagar Man vs State (NCT of Delhi) & 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': \['court_quote_para', 'officers'\]}
**followup status:** checked
**institutional response:** {'date': '2026-07-01', 'action_type': 'Order issued', 'status': 'Concluded', 'authority': 'Delhi High Court', 'independence': 'External', 'legal_effect': 'Binding', 'description': 'The Delhi High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 1,844,400.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P.(C) 9558/2020', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/28331275/', '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:** Unnatural lock-up death undisputed; State duty to compensate; Rs.18,44,400 awarded within 8 weeks.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

[Open CW-2026-0040](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0040)