Bilaspur Custodial Death: Farm Laborer Takes Fight to Supreme Court, Secures Rs 25 Lakh Relief and CBI Probe After her husband died in police custody in Bilaspur, 35-year-old agricultural laborer Lehra Bai fought a relentless legal battle up to the Supreme Court, securing Rs 25 lakh compensation and a CBI inquiry. A thirty-five-year-old agricultural laborer from Chhattisgarh who never had access to formal education has achieved a major legal victory against administrative apathy by pursuing her husband's custodial death case up to the Supreme Court. Lehra Bai, a resident of Mohra village in Bilaspur district, works in agricultural fields to provide for her two young daughters. She earns roughly Rs 300 per day as wages, with work available only intermittently. Despite severe financial distress and lack of literacy, she refused to accept impunity for her husband's death in custody, pursuing legal avenues until the country's highest court intervened with strict directives. The Arrest and Excise Act Allegations The sequence of events began on January 18, 2024, when personnel from the Sipat police station arrived at Mohra village and took thirty-four-year-old Shravan Suryavanshi Tamre into custody. Police authorities registered a case against him under Section 34(2) of the Chhattisgarh Excise Act, alleging unlawful possession of 6 liters of mahua liquor valued at approximately Rs 1,200. According to Lehra Bai, the police forcibly placed her husband into their official vehicle. At the time, the family assumed that Shravan would secure release within a day or two following routine questioning, as had happened in previous minor disputes, but he never returned home. Hospitalization, Death, and Medical Findings On the late night of January 21, the family received word that Shravan had been admitted to the Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Bilaspur following a sudden decline in his health. Relatives rushed to the facility, but family members alleged that police personnel stationed on the premises barred them from seeing Shravan. Soon afterward, they were informed of his death. Hospital documentation recorded the official time of death as 6:00 AM on January 22. A subsequent post-mortem examination proved crucial in contradicting routine claims. The medical autopsy reported that Shravan suffered cardio-respiratory arrest brought on by a traumatic head injury and its clinical complications. The medical examiner also noted several external contusions and injuries across his body, directly pointing toward physical assault. The Journey from High Court to the Supreme Court Following the tragedy, advocate Rajiv Kumar Dubey agreed to represent Lehra Bai pro bono, taking up her petition without charging legal fees. In August 2024, a writ petition was submitted before the High Court of Chhattisgarh. Delivering its verdict in December 2024, the High Court recognized administrative negligence and directed the state to pay Rs 1 lakh in compensation. Lehra Bai found this amount profoundly unjust in light of the loss of life and resolved to appeal before the Supreme Court. A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta reviewed the matter and held that the Rs 1 lakh compensation awarded by the High Court was completely insufficient. The bench expressed deep dissatisfaction over the lack of prompt accountability and criminal proceedings against the police officers involved in the custodial demise. The apex court raised the interim relief to Rs 25 lakh, ordering the state administration to disburse the payment to the aggrieved family. Strict Judicial Rebuke for Senior Bureaucrats The Supreme Court made sharp observations regarding the conduct of the then Director General of Police (DGP) of Chhattisgarh, the Director General of Prisons, and the Principal Secretary of the Home Department. The bench explicitly rejected claims by senior officials that they were unaware of the findings in the judicial inquiry report into the death. The court characterized the then DGP's statements as untruthful and reprehensible. Consequently, the judges directed a comprehensive investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alongside criminal proceedings against the personnel deemed responsible. During a subsequent hearing on October 13, the CBI was granted an extension of three months to conclude its probe, with the next court hearing listed for February 2, 2027. Parental Aspirations Amid Continued Hardship Lehra Bai is now solely responsible for raising her two daughters, thirteen-year-old Sandhya and eleven-year-old Sakshi. She recalls that Shravan harbored ambitious goals for both girls, consistently expressing a desire that they study hard to become either medical doctors or district collectors. Following his untimely demise, the household faces heightened economic uncertainty. Meanwhile, Shravan's father, Amritlal, has also raised claims for a portion of the compensation amount. For Lehra Bai, however, the primary objective remains legal justice, noting that determining appropriate criminal penalties for those responsible remains the duty of the state and the judiciary. What this means for you This judgment reinforces institutional accountability for custodial violence and establishes significant benchmarks for victim compensation across India. • Across India: The ruling firmly rejects meager compensation packages like Rs 1 lakh in custodial death cases, setting a strong judicial precedent for dignified interim relief. It demonstrates to citizens that administrative silence and bureaucratic cover-ups can be challenged directly at the apex level. • In Bilaspur and Chhattisgarh: The state government is now mandated to release Rs 25 lakh in interim compensation, curtailing arbitrary high-handedness during local excise arrests. It provides strong encouragement to regional legal aid practitioners defending vulnerable communities against state overreach. • Impact of CBI oversight: Transferring the investigation from the state police to the Central Bureau of Investigation ensures an independent criminal probe against responsible personnel. This intensifies institutional pressure on local police stations to strictly follow arrest and detention safeguards. • Relief for dependents: The financial relief provides essential livelihood and educational security for the two young daughters of the deceased. It protects a daily-wage family from falling into destitution while criminal proceedings continue against the accused officers. Why this happened This landmark judicial intervention arose from the suspicious death of an undertrial in police custody, an inadequate initial compensation award, and bureaucratic denial by top officials. • Custodial injuries and trauma: Shravan Suryavanshi was detained over the alleged possession of 6 liters of illicit liquor, only to die three days later. The autopsy revealed severe head trauma and multiple external wounds, indicating severe physical mistreatment during detention. • Inadequacy of initial relief: In December 2024, the High Court awarded merely Rs 1 lakh in damages, which the family viewed as grossly disproportionate to the loss of life. This prompted the unlettered widow to take the matter to the Supreme Court. • Administrative evasion: Top state officials, including the then DGP and Home Secretary, claimed ignorance of the judicial inquiry findings, an excuse the Supreme Court labeled false and reprehensible. This bureaucratic shielding necessitated a transfer of the case to the CBI. Questions & Answers 1. Why was Shravan Suryavanshi Tamre arrested by the police? He was arrested on January 18, 2024, by Sipat police under Section 34(2) of the Chhattisgarh Excise Act for allegedly possessing 6 liters of mahua liquor. 2. What did the post-mortem report reveal about his death? The post-mortem revealed that he died of cardio-respiratory arrest caused by a head injury and related complications, alongside several other injuries on his body. 3. What directives did the Supreme Court issue in this case? The Supreme Court ordered the Chhattisgarh government to pay Rs 25 lakh in interim compensation, transferred the probe to the CBI, and directed criminal proceedings against responsible officials. 4. What is the timeline given to the CBI and when is the next hearing? The CBI received an additional three months to conclude its investigation during the October 13 hearing, and the next court date is scheduled for February 2, 2027. Inspiration & Lessons Lehra Bai's resilience demonstrates that lack of resources and formal literacy cannot stand in the way of holding powerful institutions accountable. • Courage against systemic power: Despite earning merely Rs 300 daily in the fields, she stood up against the highest echelons of state policing without intimidation. This shows that economic hardship should never deter someone from demanding fundamental rights and accountability. • Refusing token settlements: She rejected the High Court's nominal award of Rs 1 lakh and persevered all the way to the Supreme Court. Her journey illustrates the importance of standing firm for comprehensive justice rather than accepting inadequate compromises. • The power of dedicated legal aid: Her counsel's decision to contest the case pro bono emphasizes how dedicated legal representation can empower vulnerable citizens to challenge systemic injustice. https://trendkia.com/en/chhattisgarh/bilaspur-men-kastodiyala-detha-para-supreme-court-sakhta-majadura-mahila-ki-larai-para-die-25-lakha-rupaye-aura-cbi-jancha-ke-nird-51748 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.