📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Sabuj Arjo
Crime
Tripura HC upholds Rs 4 lakh compensation for family of inmate who died by suicide
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 14 Nov 2026, 01:32 AM
👁 20
The Tripura High Court has upheld a compensation of Rs 4 lakh awarded to the family of a prisoner who committed suicide while in custody.
The Tripura High Court on Wednesday affirmed the award of Rs 4 lakh to the relatives of a prisoner who took his own life while incarcerated. The court rejected the state's petition to overturn the compensation, stating that the custodial authorities bear responsibility for the inmate's welfare.
The deceased had been serving a sentence in a state prison when he was found dead, an incident that prompted a legal battle over state liability. A lower court had earlier directed the government to pay the compensation, a decision the state appealed.
By upholding the lower court's order, the High Court underscored the duty of prison officials to ensure the safety and mental health of inmates, signalling that failures in this regard may attract financial liability.
Legal experts note that the ruling could set a precedent for similar cases across India, where families of prisoners seek redress for alleged neglect or mistreatment while in custody.
The deceased had been serving a sentence in a state prison when he was found dead, an incident that prompted a legal battle over state liability. A lower court had earlier directed the government to pay the compensation, a decision the state appealed.
By upholding the lower court's order, the High Court underscored the duty of prison officials to ensure the safety and mental health of inmates, signalling that failures in this regard may attract financial liability.
Legal experts note that the ruling could set a precedent for similar cases across India, where families of prisoners seek redress for alleged neglect or mistreatment while in custody.