Delhi High Court Orders ₹50,000 Compensation for Illegal Detention of Man

The Delhi High Court has directed two police officers to pay ₹50,000 as compensation for illegally detaining a man for half an hour, stating that even brief unlawful custody violates fundamental rights.

Case Background

The case involved Pankaj Kumar Sharma, who was picked up by Delhi police in connection with a complaint about an alleged knife attack on a woman. A sub-inspector detained him at the police station from 11:01 PM to 11:24 PM without filing an FIR or making a Daily Diary entry.

Court’s Observations

Justice Subramonium Prasad strongly criticized the police officers’ actions, stating that:

The petitioner’s liberty was violated without following due legal procedure.
He was placed in a lock-up without any formal arrest, which is unacceptable.
Police officers cannot act as a law unto themselves and must be held accountable.

The Court also highlighted that merely censuring the officers would not be a sufficient punishment. Instead, a strong message needed to be sent to prevent such misconduct in the future.

Compensation and Accountability

Emphasizing the need for accountability, the Court ordered that ₹50,000 be paid to the petitioner from the salaries of the two responsible police officers, Sub-Inspectors Rajeev Gautam and Shamim Khan.

This ruling reinforces the principle that even brief illegal detentions are a serious violation of fundamental rights, and law enforcement officers must be held responsible for their actions.

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