http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 1 of 4  

PETITIONER: ASHOK K. JOHARI, SHRI DILIP K. BASU ETC.

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: STATE OF U.P. & ORS. STATE OF WEST BENGAL & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT:       01/08/1997

BENCH: A.S. ANAND, K.T. THOMAS

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT: Present:                Hon’ble Dr. Justice A.S. Anand                Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.T. Thomas Dr. A.M. Singhvi,  Additional Solicitor  General (A.C.), Ms. Suruchi Agarwal, Sushil Kumar Jain, Y.P. Dhamija, B. Krishna Prasad,  Ms. A. Subhashini,   B.B. Singh,  Uma  Nath  Singh, B.S. Chahar, Ashok  Mathur, Ms. Hemantika  Wahi, Ms. Nandini Mukherjee, Kailash  Vasdev, C.K. Sasi Raj Kumar Mehta, Dilip Sinha,  K.R. Nagaraja,   Ms. S. Janani,  Aruneshwar   Gupta, G. Prakash,   Ms. Beena    Prakash,   Shakil   Ahmed   Syed, S.N. Jadhav,   D.M. Nargolkar,    A.S. Pundit,   R.B. Misra, Gunture Prabhakar,  Prem Malhotra,  M. Veerappa, R.S. Sodhi, J.K. Manhas, V. Krishnamurthy, D.N. Mukherjee, T. Sridharan, Gopal  Singh,   D.S. Mehra,  Ms.   Kamakshi  Singh  Mehlwal, V.G. Pragasam and Ms. Kamini Jaiswal, Advs. with him for the appearing parties.                          O R D E R The following Order of the Court was delivered: Shri Dilip K. Basu etc. V. State of West Bengal & Ors.                             WITH             WRIT PETITION (CRL) no. 592 OF 1987      On December  18, 1996 in D.K. Basu Versus State of West Bengal (1997  (1) SCC  416), this  court laid  down  certain basic "requirements"  to be  followed in all cases of arrest or detention  till legal  provisions are made in that behalf as  a   measure  to   prevent  custodial   violence.     The requirements read as follows.      "1.  The police  personnel carrying      out the  arrest  and  handling  the      interrogation   of   the   arrestee      should bear  accurate, visible  and      clear identification and name clear      identification and  name tags  with      their    designations.          The      particulars  of   all  such  police      personnel who  handle interrogation      of the arrestee must be recorded in      a register.

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 2 of 4  

    2.   That   the    police   officer      carrying  out  the  arrest  of  the      arrestee shall  prepare a  memo  of      arrest at  the time  of arrest  and      such memo  shall be  attested by at      least one  witness, who  may either      be a  member of  the family  of the      arrestee or a respectable person of      the locality  from where the arrest      is  made.     It   shall  also   be      countersigned by  the arrestee  and      shall contain  the time and date of      arrest.      3.   A person who has been arrested      or detained  and is  being held  in      custody  in  a  police  station  or      interrogation centre or other lock-      up, shall  be entitled  to have one      friend or  relative or other person      know to  him or  having interest in      his welfare being informed, as soon      as practicable,  that he  has  been      arrested and  is being  detained at      the particular  place,  unless  the      attesting witness  of the  memo  of      arrest is  himself such a friend or      a relative of the arrestee.      4.   The time,  place of arrest and      venue of  custody  of  an  arrestee      must  be  notified  by  the  police      where the  next friend  or relative      of the  arrestee lives  outside the      district or  town through the Legal      Aid Organisation  in  the  District      and the  police station of the area      concerned telegraphically  within a      period of  8 to  12 hours after the      arrest.      5.   The person  arrested  must  be      made aware  of this  right to  have      someone informed  of his  arrest or      detention as  soon  as  he  is  put      under arrest or is detained.      6.   An entry  must be  made in the      diary at  the  place  of  detention      regarding the  arrest of the person      which shall  also disclose the name      of the next fried of the person who      has been informed of the arrest and      the names  and particulars  of  the      police officials  in whose  custody      the arrestee is.      7.   The arrestee  should, where he      so requests,  be also  examined  at      the time  of his  arrest and  major      and minor  injuries, if any present      on his/her  body, must  be recorded      at  that  time.    The  "Inspection      Memo" must  be signed  both by  the      arrestee  and  the  police  officer      effecting the  arrest and  its copy      provided to  the arrestee  and  the      police officer effecting the arrest      and  its   copy  provided   to  the      arrestee.

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 3 of 4  

    8.   The   arrestee    should    be      subjected to medical examination by      a trained  doctor  every  48  hours      during his  detention in custody by      a doctor  on the  panel of approved      doctors  appointed   by   Director,      Health Services  of  the  State  or      Union     Territory      concerned.      Director,  Health  Services  should      prepare  such   a  penal   for  all      tehsils and districts as well.      9.   Copies of  all  the  documents      including  the   memo  of   arrest,      referred to  above, should  be sent      to the  Illega Magistrate  for  his      record.      10.  The arrestee  may be permitted      to   meet    his   lawyer    during      interrogation,      though      not      throughout the interrogation.      11.  A police control room could be      provided at  all district and State      headquarters,   where   information      regarding the  arrest and the place      of custody of the arrestee shall be      communicated by the officer causing      the  arrest,  within  12  hours  of      effecting the  arrest  and  at  the      police control  room it  should  be      displayed on  a conspicuous  notice      board."      This court  also opined that failure to comply with the above  requirements,   apart  from  rendering  the  official concerned liable  for departmental action, would also render him liable  to be  punished for  contempt of  court and  the proceedings for contempt of court could be instituted in any High Court  of country, having territorial jurisdiction over the matter.  This Court further observed :      "The requirements  mentioned  above      shall be  forwarded to the Director      General   of    every   State/Union      Territory and  it  shall  be  their      obligation to circulate the same to      every police  station  under  their      charge and get the same notified at      every police  station  under  their      charge and get the same notified at      every   police    station   at    a      conspicuous place.   It  would also      be useful and serve larger interest      to broadcast  the  requirements  on      All India Radio besides being shown      on   the    national   Network   of      Doordarshan any  by publishing  and      distributing pamphlets in the local      language      containing      these      requirements for information of the      general public.  Creating awareness      about the  lights of  the  arrestee      would in  our opinion  be a step in      the right  direction to  combat the      evil of  custodial crime  and bring      in transparency and accountability.      It is hoped and accountability.  It      is  hoped  that  thee  requirements

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 4 of 4  

    would help  to curb, if not totally      eliminate,    the    use    of    a      questionable     methods     during      interrogation   and   investigation      leading to  custodial commission of      crimes."      More  than   seven  months   have  elapsed   since  the directions  were  issued.    Through  these  petitions,  Dr. Singhvi, the  learned Amicus  Curiae, who  had assisted  the Court in  the main petition, seeks a direction, calling upon the Director  General of  Police and  the Home  Secretary of every  State/union   Territory  to   report  to   this  Curt compliance of  the above  directions and  the steps taken by the All  India Radio and the National Network of Doordarshan for broadcasting the requirements.      We  direct   the  Registry  to  send  a  copy  of  this application,  together   with  a   copy  of  this  order  to respondents 1  to 31  to have  the report/reports  from  the Director General  of Police  and the  Home Secretary  of the concerned  State/Union   Territory,  sent   to  this   Court regarding the  compliance of the above directions concerning arrestees.  The report shall indicate in a tabular from a to which of the "requirements" has been carried out and in what manner, as  also which  are the  "requirements" which  still remain to  be carried  out and  the steps  being  taken  for carrying out those.      Report shall also be obtained from the Directors of All India Radio and Doordarshan regarding broadcasts made.      The notice  on respondents  1 to  31, in  addition, may also  be   served  through   the  standing  counsel  of  the respective State/union  Territories in  the  Supreme  Court. After the  reports are received, copies of the same shall be furnished to  the Advocate  on Record  for Dr.  Singhvi, Ms. Suruchi Agarwal, Advocate.      The reports  shall be  submitted to  this court  in the terms, indicated  above, within  six weeks  from today.  The matters shall be put up on board for monitoring, after seven weeks.