When 35-year-old Somnath Suryawanshi failed to emerge from his cell, the Bombay High Court refused to let his passing slip into silence. The bench has now ordered police to lodge a formal FIR following his untimely death in custody—an outcome tied to his arrest during protests over the vandalism of a Constitution replica.
Caught in the glare of judicial scrutiny, the case spotlights long-standing questions about detainee welfare and the accountability of law enforcement behind closed doors. The court’s intervention sends a clear message: no custodial death will go unexamined.
