# A.C. Karthikeyan and Others vs State Human Rights Commission Tamil Nadu and Others

HTML version: [https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0047](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0047)

## Report card

By judgment dated 27 February 2026 in W.P.(MD) Nos.22673, 24168, 23338 and 23362 of 2022 and 14715 of 2023, the Madras High Court (Coram: G.R. Swaminathan, R. Kalaimathi, JJ.) returned findings adverse to 4 police personnel, namely: A.C. Karthikeyan (Deputy Superintendent of Police); R. Senthilkumar (Inspector of Police); Mohan Kumar; M. Stephen Arul Raj, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 6 lakh (Rs 6,00,000).

- Register number: TN 74 CW 0014
- Case reference: W.P.(MD) Nos.22673, 24168, 23338 and 23362 of 2022 and 14715 of 2023
- Court and date: Madras High Court (Coram: G.R. Swaminathan, R. Kalaimathi, JJ.), 27 February 2026
- Officer(s) at the material time: A.C. Karthikeyan (Deputy Superintendent of Police); R. Senthilkumar (Inspector of Police); Mohan Kumar; M. Stephen Arul Raj
- Present service status: Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked: the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993; Section 24(1) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003; Section 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015; Article 226 of the Constitution of India
- Finding of the Court (extract): “We can invoke the rule of commonsense and easily conclude that the story that the complainant hit himself and that is how the head injuries were caused is fantastic.” (at para 10)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum: Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 6 lakh (Rs 6,00,000).
- 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/53901862/); [Permanent link to this record](https://datalibertarian.in/babuwatch/incident/CW-2026-0047)

**Record:** CW-2026-0047 (compiler id CWC-0858); case GAP2-40-001
**Title:** A.C. Karthikeyan and Others vs State Human Rights Commission Tamil Nadu and Others
**Court:** Madras High Court; bench: Madurai; judges: G.R. Swaminathan; R. Kalaimathi
**Case number / citation:** W.P.(MD) Nos.22673, 24168, 23338 and 23362 of 2022 and 14715 of 2023
**Judgment:** 2026-02-27 (2026, day precision)
**Incident date:** 2019-05-30 (2019)
**Place:** Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu; city town: Marthandam; police station or unit: Marthandam Police Station / DSP Thuckalay Special Squad; force: state_police
**Category:** Violence & unlawful detention
**Sub-category:** custodial torture
**Outcome:** Adverse finding + compensation (adverse_finding_compensation)
**Sections:** Protection of Human Rights Act 1993; COTPA 2003 s.24(1); Juvenile Justice Act 2015 s.77; Constitution Art. 226
**Officers (gated display forms):** A.C. Karthikeyan (Deputy Superintendent of Police); R. Senthilkumar (Inspector of Police); Mohan Kumar; M. Stephen Arul Raj (4 in record)
**Victims:** Marthandam man, age 63 (1 in record)
**Sentence / compensation:** compensation only; Rs 6 lakh (Rs 6,00,000)
**Sentence type:** compensation only (compensation_only)

A Division Bench upheld the SHRC finding that 63-year-old a Marthandam man was falsely implicated in a gutka case, illegally arrested and assaulted in custody at Kotticode police station on 30-31 May 2019, sustaining head injuries proved by medical records. The court rejected the police claim that a Marthandam man injured himself as fantastic and fastened liability on the DSP who directed the action, the Inspector who made the illegal arrest without following D.K. Basu guidelines, and two special-squad members. It dismissed the officers writ petitions and confirmed the SHRC award of Rs.6,00,000 compensation with recovery of Rs.3,00,000 from the DSP and Rs.1,00,000 each from the other three. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.

> We can invoke the rule of commonsense and easily conclude that the story that the complainant hit himself and that is how the head injuries were caused is fantastic.

**Sources (2):** [indiankanoon.org](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/53901862/); [barandbench.com](https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/madras-high-court-scoffs-at-police-claim-that-63-year-old-caused-his-own-head-injuries-in-police-custody)
**Verification:** V2 · Externally reported
**Review:** Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded
**admin category:** brutality
**admin subcategory:** custodial_torture
**allegations:** {'category': 'Custodial torture', '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:** 10
**display title redacted:** A.C. Karthikeyan and Others vs State Human Rights Commission Tamil Nadu 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': '2026-02-27', '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 600,000.', 'disposition': 'Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only)', 'source': 'W.P.(MD) Nos.22673, 24168, 23338 and 23362 of 2022 and 14715 of 2023', 'recheck': 'Not yet re-checked.'}
**last checked:** 2026-09-19
**link checked per url:** {'url': 'https://indiankanoon.org/doc/53901862/', 'link_checked': None}; {'url': 'https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/madras-high-court-scoffs-at-police-claim-that-63-year-old-caused-his-own-head-injuries-in-police-custody', 'link_checked': None}
**retracted:** {"is_retracted": false}
**service:** police
**source assessment:** {"established": null, "basis": null}
**status:** current
**subcategory display:** custodial torture
**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:** HC dismissed officers writs, confirmed SHRC Rs.6L award for custodial assault of 63-year-old.
**verification badge:** V2 · Externally reported
**verification status:** V2
**watch:** babuwatch

Status: Adverse finding + compensation.

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