ISSUE:
Whether the custodial humiliation and public defamation of the appellant by police officials violated his fundamental right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution?
Whether the appellant was entitled to compensation as a public law remedy for the violation of his fundamental rights, or whether he was required to seek redress through a civil defamation suit?
RULE:
The right to life under Article 21 includes the right to live with dignity, and any action by the State that humiliates, degrades, or causes mental agony to an individual constitutes a violation of this right.
Compensation for the violation of fundamental rights is an independent constitutional remedy under public law and does not require the victim to initiate a civil suit.