{"id":80637,"date":"2026-08-03T18:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T12:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=80637"},"modified":"2026-08-03T18:15:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T12:45:17","slug":"custodial-deaths-in-india-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-08-2026\/custodial-deaths-in-india-2","title":{"rendered":"Custodial Deaths in India"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>T<strong>he Special Investigation Team (SIT)<\/strong> took a suspended Inspector into <strong>custody in the alleged custodial death case in Andhra Pradesh.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Custodial Death?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Custodial death<\/strong> refers to the death of an individual <strong>while in police or judicial custody. <\/strong>This may occur <strong>before trial, during police interrogation, or after conviction.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The death may be caused by<strong> torture, negligence, denial of medical aid,<\/strong> or even under suspicious circumstances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It Violates the Constitutional Rights of;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Article 20(1):<\/strong> No person shall be punished beyond what is prescribed in law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 20(3):<\/strong> Protection against self-incrimination; any confession made under duress is inadmissible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Article 21: <\/strong>Ensures protection of life and personal liberty, including in police\/judicial custody.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Custodial Death in India: <\/strong>According to parliamentary data, <strong>11,656 custodial deaths<\/strong> were recorded between 2016-17 and 2021-22, across India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Uttar Pradesh topped the list with <strong>2,630 deaths,<\/strong> while <strong>Tamil Nadu <\/strong>reported the highest number among the southern States.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As per the NCRB Data, A total of<strong> 170 custodial deaths <\/strong>were reported across the country in the first 74 days of 2026, which has surpassed the previous year\u2019s figure of 140.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bihar <\/strong>topped the list followed by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons of Higher Custodial Deaths in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Procedural Flaws and Delays:<\/strong> Supreme Court of India, in <strong>K Basu vs. State of West Bengal (1997) Case<\/strong>, laid down crucial guidelines to prevent custodial abuse.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, Courts often rely on magisterial inquiries, procedures riddled with procedural flaws and delays.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Accountability:<\/strong> Investigations into custodial deaths are typically conducted by the same department involved.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Even where judicial inquiries are initiated, they are often slow, opaque, and inconclusive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Political Interference:<\/strong> Policing in India is often influenced by political pressures, which weakens impartial action and shields errant officers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Marginalisation and Vulnerable Groups: <\/strong>Most victims come from weaker socio-economic backgrounds. Lack of legal literacy and resources prevents families from seeking justice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Erosion of Rule of Law: <\/strong>It shows that constitutional safeguards that Article 21 Right to Life, Article 22 Protection against arbitrary arrest are being\u00a0 violated. This undermines public confidence in the justice system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human Rights Image: <\/strong>Internationally, India faces criticism in UNHRC, Human Rights Watch reports. This weakens India\u2019s moral authority when it speaks about human rights issues in other countries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Police-State Perception: <\/strong>High custodial deaths may create a perception of India as a police state rather than a welfare-oriented democracy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Criminal Justice System<\/strong>: This projects inefficiency in adopting modern policing, forensics, and technology-driven methods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>International Legal Frameworks for Protection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>United Nations Charter (1945):<\/strong> It sets out the purposes and principles of the UN, including the promotion of human rights.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): <\/strong>It prohibits torture and ensures the presumption of innocence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966):<\/strong> It protects right to life and prohibits torture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Nelson Mandela Rules,<\/strong> officially known as the <strong>UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners 2015,<\/strong> establish minimum standards for the humane treatment of all individuals deprived of their liberty.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>European Convention on Human Rights (1950):<\/strong> It recognises individual dignity and access to justice mechanisms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Recommendations for Reform<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Law Commission Reports:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>69th Report (1977) of Law Commission of India:<\/strong> It proposed introducing Section 26A in the Indian Evidence Act to make confessions before senior police officers admissible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>273rd Report of Law Commission of India<\/strong> recommended an anti-torture law, affirming that India\u2019s existing legal safeguards are insufficient.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Police Reforms: <\/strong>Implement the Supreme Court&#8217;s <strong>Prakash Singh vs. Union of India (2006) directives<\/strong>, including:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Separation of the investigation and law and order functions of the police.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Establishment of Police Complaints Authorities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mandatory Use of Technology: <\/strong>CCTV coverage in interrogation rooms, digital records of questioning, and body cameras must become the norm.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Judicial Reforms: <\/strong>Fast-track courts for custodial crimes, along with stringent penalties for complicit officials, are essential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Criminal Law Reforms (2023): <\/strong>Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 (replacing CrPC) introduces provisions for greater transparency in arrests, use of forensic methods, and citizen-centric procedures.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023 modernise penal and evidentiary laws, reducing dependence on confession-based policing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite constitutional guarantees, legal safeguards, and judicial pronouncements, the use of torture and abuse in custody remains present.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India must not only uphold its constitutional values but also fulfill its international obligations by enacting a comprehensive anti-torture law, strengthening institutions, and ensuring accountability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/andhra-pradesh\/sit-takes-suspended-ci-into-custody-in-sai-krishna-custodial-death-case\/article71284819.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The Special Investigation Team (SIT) took a suspended Inspector into custody in the alleged custodial death case in Andhra Pradesh. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> What is Custodial Death? <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Custodial death refers to the death of an individual while in police or judicial custody. This may occur before trial, during police interrogation, or after conviction.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The death may be caused by torture, negligence, denial of medical aid, or even under suspicious circumstances. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/03-08-2026\/custodial-deaths-in-india-2 \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80637"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80639,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80637\/revisions\/80639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}