The Jharkhand High Court granted justice to Anil Singh, a tribal victim of police torture, by directing a ₹5 lakh compensation from the guilty police officials after two years of legal battle.

Anil Singh, aged 42 and hailing from Kuku village in Barwadih block, Latehar district, Jharkhand, was reportedly assaulted on February 23, 2022, at Garu police station by the station in-charge and two other policemen. Following the incident, he endured severe physical and psychological torture during an illegal three-day confinement under false suspicion of aiding Maoists.

The Jharkhand Janadhihar Mahasabha, a coalition of human rights advocates, has been supporting Anil Singh in his legal battle and has expressed satisfaction with the high court's decision. In a press release, they emphasized, "This case underscores the systemic repression faced by innocent tribals and the immense challenges their families encounter in seeking justice. Simply registering an FIR against culpable police and security forces is a prolonged and arduous endeavor."

“The Mahasabha demands that the guilty police officers be dismissed immediately, punitive action be taken against them and Anil Singh be given a compensation of ₹10 lakhs instead of ₹5 lakhs,” the Mahasabha statement adds.

“The Jharkhand High Court has ordered compensation of ₹5 lakhs to Anil Singh to be paid by the state immediately, preferably within a period of two weeks. The court has also observed that since it is an admitted case that the petitioner was wrongly taken into custody and tortured, the amount should be recovered from the police officials who had taken him in custody and tortured. The recovery should be made within two months from the date of payment,” said Ranchi-based high court advocate Shailesh Poddar who had fought the case on behalf of Anil Singh.

“Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha raised this issue and the then Chief Minister Hemant Soren took cognizance of the violence and ordered Jharkhand Police to take action. But despite this, the police have been continuously trying to save the culprits. So far, the police have not taken adequate action against the culprits,” claimed a statement of the Mahasabha.