SUNIL GUPTA AND ORS. vs STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND ORS.

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of handcuffing and degrading treatment of prisoners, emphasizing that such actions must be justified and ordered by the court. The Court reiterated its disapproval of unjustifiable handcuffing, referencing previous judgments including Prem Shankar Shukla v. Delhi Administration and Bhim Singh v. State of Jammu & Kashmir. The Court held that the petitioners, being educated social workers, should not have been subjected to handcuffing, especially since they were in judicial custody under a competent court's order. The Court ordered compensation for the petitioners due to the violation of their rights.