Police Can’t Wait for Trial: Gauhati HC Orders Rs 25 Lakh Compensation for Custodial Death, Asks State to Recover from Guilty Officers

The Gauhati High Court has held that compensation for custodial death can be awarded even before a criminal trial concludes. In the Santosh Hojai case, the Court ordered Rs.25 lakh compensation, describing the accused officers’ actions as “barbaric” and capable of “shaking the judicial conscience.”