New Delhi, August 12: The Supreme Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the death of a youth in police custody in Chhattisgarh. The court’s decision comes in light of serious concerns regarding the actions of the state police in the case of 34-year-old Shravan.
Shravan died in January 2024, but an FIR was only registered on July 30, 2026. A judicial inquiry revealed that his death resulted from a head injury sustained during custody. The bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, instructed the CBI to investigate the role of police officials who failed to take appropriate action after the judicial report was released.
The court has mandated that the CBI submit a report before the next hearing scheduled for October 13. Additionally, the Supreme Court ordered the state government to provide an interim compensation of 2.5 million rupees to the deceased’s family, with the final compensation amount to be determined later.
On January 18, 2024, the police from the Sipat station in Bilaspur district arrested Shravan Suryavanshi on allegations of possessing illicit liquor. He was sent to Bilaspur Central Jail but was transferred to CIMS Hospital on January 21 due to deteriorating health, where he passed away on January 22.
A subsequent judicial inquiry found that his death was caused by a head injury. Shravan’s wife and daughters filed a petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court seeking action for the custodial death and demanding 5 million rupees in compensation. In October 2024, the High Court ordered the state government to pay 100,000 rupees in compensation and held the police officers accountable for negligence. This led to a petition being filed in the Supreme Court.
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