Supreme Court orders Uttar Pradesh to pay Rs 6 lakh to a man acquitted after six years in jail

26 October 2026

In Arun @ Deepak v. State of U.P., the Supreme Court directed the State to pay Rs 6 lakh as compensation to a man who spent six years in jail in a kidnapping and murder case before being acquitted. The Court described the investigation as a classic example of how not to investigate and said police officers must be educated in the process of investigation. Compensation for wrongful imprisonment by the State is awarded by the constitutional courts under their writ jurisdiction, tracing the power to the right to life and personal liberty in Article 21.