18 Nov 1991
Order issued
ConcludedThe Kerala High Court recorded adverse findings against police personnel and ordered Rs 60,000.
Compensation ordered · Supports allegation (for the compensated wrong only).
Source: 1993 ACJ 509
Not yet re-checked.
CW-1991-0006Idukki, KeralaJudgment 18 November 1991
Thankamani, Kamakshy Panchayat Woman and Ors. vs Union of India and Ors.
The Kerala High Court (K.G. Balakrishnan, J.) held that Article 226 empowers compensation as a palliative where police violate Article 21, following Rudul Sah, Bhim Singh, PUDR v. State of Bihar and Sebastian Hongray. Accepting Commission evidence, medical records and affidavits for four of the 48 Thankamani petitioners, the Court awarded Rs.25,000 to a woman subjected to inhuman behaviour, Rs.15,000 to widow [name withheld] whose husband died in police firing, and Rs.10,000 each to a physically handicapped man shot in the head and a man ill-treated in custody. It directed the State to deposit Rs.60,000 with the Joint Registrar within three months and handed investigation of the pending criminal cases, mostly against police officers, to senior officers under a DIG. The general claim of Rs.50,000 each for all petitioners was rejected with liberty to move the civil court. Matters not addressed in the cited judgment text are not recorded here.
Externally reportedV2
What this record means
This page documents a court-adjudicated case from the judgment and cited sources below. Findings are attributed to the court; this record does not add findings of its own.
How verification works →Detailed record
Report card
By judgment dated 18 November 1991 in O.P. Nos. 8717 and 9100 of 1986, the Kerala High Court (Coram: K.G. Balakrishnan J., J.) returned findings adverse to 5 police personnel, namely: Circle Inspector, Peerumade; Police Constable (P.C. 572), Kattappana Police Station; Circle Inspector, Thankamani raiding party; Sub-Inspector; Sub-Inspector, and directed payment of compensation of Rs 60,000.
- Register number
- KL 06 CW 0001
- Case reference
- O.P. Nos. 8717 and 9100 of 1986 / 1993 ACJ 509
- Court and date
- Kerala High Court (Coram: K.G. Balakrishnan J., J.), 18 November 1991
- Officer(s) at the material time
- Circle Inspector, Peerumade; Police Constable (P.C. 572), Kattappana Police Station; Circle Inspector, Thankamani raiding party; Sub-Inspector; Sub-Inspector
- 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)
- “This, I think, is a fit case where this Court shall order compensation as a palliative measure.” (at para 14)
- Verdict, sentence and quantum
- Adverse finding + compensation. Sentence: compensation only. Compensation: Rs 60,000.
- Present status of the proceedings
- No further proceedings are recorded in the cited sources; the judgment is the concluded position shown.
Compiled from the judgment and the cited sources. Findings are those of the court; this card adds none of its own.
Current position
The Kerala High Court judgment dated 18 November 1991 is the concluded position shown in the cited sources.
Evidence position
Recorded allegations
OtherPrimary
Material fact supported
Reliable material supports a specifically documented fact relevant to that allegation, not necessarily the full allegation, causation, intent, unlawfulness, or responsibility.
Official finding: supports allegation.
Attributed to the court
What the court found
Holding not recorded separately.
“This, I think, is a fit case where this Court shall order compensation as a palliative measure.” (para 14)
Separate from verification
Institutional response
Continuing record
Follow-up history
19 Sep 2026
(Round-8 full re-verification: published record re-checked against the judgment text (outcome, officers, quote, key facts) plus methodology-compliance pass; skills-guided adversarial re-verification of the published record against the judgment text (reverify/t1-*/adversarial-8.jsonl))
Corrections (0): No corrections recorded.
Review: Solo Staff combined review (one combined attestation) — not yet recorded.