‘Sakali Devi is alive’: Cop wrongly reports Bihar woman dead, gets court pardon after apology

On Might 8, the Patna Excessive Court bench comprising Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar had recorded Devi’s loss of life in its order, stating, “Perused Letter No. 155 dated 11.02.2026 of the Superintendent of Police, Samastipur together with the report of SHO, Tajpur Police Station, whereby it is indicated that in the course of the enquiry it got here to gentle that the only appellant, specifically Sakli Devi, is useless.”

Chief Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Justice Harish Kumar mentioned that it was a real mistake and directed that the SHO’s suspension order be revoked.

Contemplating the letter, the bench famous that, as “no close to relative has filed any utility in search of depart to proceed the attraction”, the prison attraction filed by Devi would stand “abated”.

The matter then took a swift flip.

Illiterate woman, ‘callous’ SHO

Sakali Devi got here ahead pleading that the declare that she had died was “incorrect and factually improper” for she is alive and “in sound well being and thoughts”.

Her plea earlier than the court said, “Appellant is an illiterate harmless woman, and it seems that inadvertently, within the ADHAAR Card and PAN Card, her date of delivery has been incorrectly recorded as 01.01.1935.”

It went on: “Appellant’s Ration Card issued in 2018 information her age as 62 years.  It seems that the SHO, Tajpur Police Station, has callously ready the report concerning Appellant’s loss of life sitting in his chamber with none documentary proof and in addition with out precise spot verification.”

The woman argued that she would undergo “irreparable loss” if her plea was not allowed and filed for restoration of her prison attraction.

Court takes notice, SP apologises

The woman’s disclosure prompted the court to file, “…it has been discovered that ‘Sakali Devi’, regarding whom an earlier report was despatched that ‘she is useless’, was not the right report. On correct verification, it got here to gentle that the appellant Sakali Devi within the current prison attraction is nonetheless alive, and accordingly, it has been knowledgeable to the excessive court that mentioned ‘Sakali Devi’ is alive.”

The court accepted the “unconditional and unqualified” apology of the Superintendent of Police and allowed the prayer to revoke the SHO’s suspension.

“Within the show-cause affidavit filed by the Superintendent of Police, Samastipur, we discovered that one ‘Rakesh Kumar Sharma’ Station Home Officer, Tajpur, has been suspended and a show-cause for the departmental continuing has been issued to him. For the reason that mistake seems to be a real one, we direct that the suspension order be revoked. It is anticipated that the SHO, Tajpur, shall watch out in future, whereas submitting such a report,” the order held.

Counsel factors out challenge

The state counsel, in the meantime, identified that the affidavits filed in reference to the well-being reports known as for by the court in numerous circumstances don’t point out the parentage or husband’s identify talked about within the attraction memo, however solely point out the appellant’s identify and handle, which creates an issue within the correct identification of the appellant.

The counsel mentioned there was “each probability” that within the identify of the exact same particular person, there could also be extra individuals in that village beneath the identical police station.

The joint registrar assured the court that, going ahead, when the well-being reports can be known as for in numerous prison appeals, the “full handle of the appellant/appellants” can be furnished in step with the “trigger title of the Memo of Enchantment”.