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Supreme Court of India 2024-03-18 partly_allowed

SOMNATH vs THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA & ORS

Bench: 2 — Vikram Nath, Ahsanuddin Amanullah

In Brief

A police officer paraded an arrested person in handcuffs, half-naked with a garland of footwear, verbally abusing him for his caste. The High Court awarded Rs. 75,000 in compensation but declined to direct criminal prosecution. The Supreme Court upheld the compensation award and imposed an additional Rs. 1,00,000 liability on the officer. Though strong custodial abuse was established, criminal prosecution was not directed because the officer had retired and paid Rs. 1,75,000 total. The Court stressed a zero-tolerance approach to police misconduct and restated that all arrested persons must receive constitutional protections and dignity in custody.

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Criminal Procedure Police Custody and Arrest Custodial Abuse Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Constitutional Rights Compensation Police Conduct

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