Beyond the courts
Findings of human rights commissions and police complaints authorities
Statutory bodies decide far more police complaints than the courts do. This section lists every police case in which the National Human Rights Commission recommended monetary relief, as printed in the relief tables of its annual reports from 2012-13 to 2023-24, and the Delhi Police Complaints Authority recommendations that the Lieutenant Governor approved.
1,467
findings listed
Rs 41.98 crore
relief recommended by NHRC
1,360
where the state had not shown payment
A commission recommendation is not a court judgment. NHRC recommends relief after finding that a public servant violated human rights; the government may comply, challenge the recommendation in court, or refuse it. Each record shows the latest status NHRC itself published. The tables name no officer and no victim, and neither does this site.
By state
| State | Findings | Relief recommended | Payment not shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 484 | Rs 8.94 crore | 456 |
| Assam | 78 | Rs 4.94 crore | 77 |
| Delhi | 114 | Rs 4.04 crore | 94 |
| Manipur | 64 | Rs 3.96 crore | 55 |
| Maharashtra | 78 | Rs 2.57 crore | 78 |
| Jharkhand | 66 | Rs 2.18 crore | 60 |
| Haryana | 63 | Rs 1.95 crore | 60 |
| Chhattisgarh | 30 | Rs 1.74 crore | 28 |
| Bihar | 74 | Rs 1.57 crore | 69 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 53 | Rs 1.39 crore | 48 |
| West Bengal | 39 | Rs 1.23 crore | 37 |
| Gujarat | 42 | Rs 1.15 crore | 39 |
| Tamil Nadu | 34 | Rs 73.6 lakh | 34 |
| Rajasthan | 51 | Rs 72.1 lakh | 50 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 32 | Rs 63.5 lakh | 30 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 13 | Rs 59.2 lakh | 12 |
| Odisha | 32 | Rs 56.4 lakh | 28 |
| Meghalaya | 13 | Rs 52 lakh | 12 |
| Goa | 1 | Rs 36.9 lakh | 1 |
| Uttarakhand | 16 | Rs 29.6 lakh | 12 |
| Punjab | 14 | Rs 29.3 lakh | 13 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 11 | Rs 23.7 lakh | 9 |
| Kerala | 13 | Rs 22 lakh | 11 |
| Karnataka | 10 | Rs 21.2 lakh | 8 |
| Telangana | 11 | Rs 19.8 lakh | 10 |
| Chandigarh | 4 | Rs 16.5 lakh | 4 |
| Mizoram | 7 | Rs 12.8 lakh | 7 |
| Nagaland | 5 | Rs 12 lakh | 5 |
| Jammu and Kashmir | 4 | Rs 11 lakh | 3 |
| Tripura | 5 | Rs 9.4 lakh | 5 |
| Puducherry | 3 | Rs 4.2 lakh | 2 |
| Sikkim | 1 | Rs 3 lakh | 1 |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 1 | Rs 3 lakh | 1 |
| Lakshadweep | 1 | Rs 50,000 | 1 |
What the findings were about
| Nature of complaint (NHRC classification) | Findings |
|---|---|
| Custodial death (police) | 341 |
| Failure to take lawful action | 252 |
| Abuse of power | 179 |
| Death in police encounter | 153 |
| Custodial torture | 102 |
| Alleged custodial death in police custody | 81 |
| Unlawful detention | 73 |
| Alleged fake encounter | 58 |
| False implication | 39 |
| Illegal arrest | 37 |
| Abduction / rape by police | 29 |
| Death in police firing | 25 |
See also: police officers trapped by anti-corruption agencies (charged, not convicted)