The Chhattisgarh High Court has upheld the acquittal of 10 accused in the Tadmetla encounter – the country’s deadliest Naxal attack in which 76 security personnel were killed in 2010 – although it noted that the investigation into the case appeared flawed.
In delivering the order on May 5, the court said it was rejecting the government’s acquittal appeal against the injunction for lack of direct evidence, incomplete circumstantial evidence, procedural irregularities in the investigation and failure to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt despite the seriousness of the crime.
Chairman Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal said they were “disturbed” to observe that a case of such a serious scale, involving mass casualties and serious implications for national security, was ultimately handled in a manner where no legally admissible and reliable evidence could be produced against the accused persons.
“It is deeply painful to note that despite the loss of 75 CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) personnel, including one State Police, in a brutal attack allegedly carried out by Naxalites, law enforcement agencies have not been able to identify the real perpetrators of the crime or bring them to justice for such a barbaric act,” the court further said.
On 6 April 2010, while a CRPF contingent from the 62nd Battalion was returning from an area control operation in the Chintalnar forests, they were attacked by Maoists in Tadmetla area of Sukma district. According to the prosecution, the Maoists opened indiscriminate fire and set off explosives, killing 76 personnel and looting weapons from the unit.
The accused have been charged under Sections 148, 120B and 396 of the IPC, along with the provisions of the Arms Act and the Explosives Act. However, a court acquitted them in 2013 after finding insufficient evidence, prompting the state to challenge the verdict in the High Court in 2014. Of the 10 accused, two died.
While upholding the acquittal, the HC highlighted critical lapses in the investigation. She stated that none of the 43 witnesses examined identified the accused as the perpetrator and that no Test Card (TIP) was conducted to link the accused to the scene of the crime. Although the police claimed to have found tiffin bombs and grenades, no Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report was produced to certify the materials as explosives. The state also failed to record the mandatory criminal prosecution required by the Arms Act, the order said.
The court directed the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh and the Director General of Police to ensure higher standards of investigation in future cases involving serious crimes. It also ordered the introduction of training programs for police personnel to increase investigative competence and called for the introduction of internal control mechanisms to monitor the quality of evidence collection.
Published – 07 May 2026 22:56 IST
