Supreme Court quashes suicide FIR; orders 50 lakh compensation, arrest of policemen for custodial torture

July 21, 2025 by News Desk

The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a compensation of ₹50 lakh and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the case of Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, a constable with the Jammu Kashmir Police, who was allegedly subjected to brutal custodial torture at the Joint Interrogation Centre in Kupwara in February 2023.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed the immediate arrest of the officers involved and asked the CBI to complete its investigation within three month, Live Law reported.

The Court also ordered that the arrests be made within one month from the date of the judgment.

Chohan, as per the petition, was detained illegally from February 20 to 26 last year, during which he alleged that he was tortured, including the mutilation of his private parts.

Following the incident, he was booked under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code for attempting suicide. The Supreme Court quashed this FIR, calling its continuation a “travesty of justice.”

The judgment, authored by Justice Mehta, stated that the case went beyond individual misconduct and raised questions about systemic and structural failings at the interrogation centre.

The Court directed the CBI to also examine whether institutional lapses or a culture of impunity enabled the abuse.

“If a police officer can be subjected to such inhuman treatment, the position of ordinary citizens is even more precarious,” the Court observed during the hearing.

Chohan was represented by senior advocate Anand Grover and a legal team including Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi and Ibad Mushtaq.

Speaking after the judgment, Grover said the verdict was significant because it recognised custodial torture within the police force itself and treated the victim not as an accused, but as a citizen whose rights were violated.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration is yet to respond to the Court’s directions. The case was titled Khursheed Ahmad Chohan versus Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Others.