Sathankulam custodial deaths: Madurai court awards death penalty to nine policemen
Taking suo motu cognisance, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had observed that there was a prima facie case of murder
Taking suo motu cognisance, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had observed that there was a prima facie case of murder
Taking suo motu cognisance, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had observed that there was a prima facie case of murder
The First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai on Monday awarded the death penalty to nine police personnel convicted in the 2020 Sathankulam custodial deaths of a father-son duo.
Pronouncing the sentence, Judge G Muthukumaran termed the case “rarest of rare,” noting that the accused, entrusted with maintaining law and order, had themselves violated the law. The court observed that the victims, Jayaraj and his son Bennix, had no criminal antecedents and were subjected to brutal assault in custody.
The court also directed the convicted officers to collectively pay ₹1.40 crore as compensation to the victims’ families. On March 23, the court found all nine accused guilty of murder.
Those convicted include then Inspector S Sridhar, Sub-Inspectors P Raghu Ganesh and K Balakrishnan, head constables S Murugan and A Saamidurai, and constables M Muthuraj, S Chelladurai, Thomas Francis and S Veilumuthu.
The case dates back to June 2020, when Jayaraj and Bennix were detained by the Sathankulam police for allegedly keeping their shop open beyond 9 pm during COVID-19 restrictions. They were taken into custody on June 19 and allegedly subjected to severe custodial torture. Bennix died on June 22, followed by Jayaraj on June 23.
The incident had triggered nationwide outrage over custodial violence. Initially, cases were registered against 10 police personnel, but one of the accused, Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, died during the trial.
Taking suo motu cognisance, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had observed that there was a prima facie case of murder and flagged attempts to destroy evidence. The court then directed the CB-CID to take over the probe, which was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure a fair inquiry.
In its judgment, the trial court rejected the defence claim that the injuries were self-inflicted, citing post-mortem reports that confirmed repeated assault. It also dismissed arguments linking Jayaraj's death to a pre-existing heart condition, ruling that both deaths were caused by the injuries inflicted in custody.
Holding the acts to be intentional and brutal, the court concluded that the case squarely amounted to murder and sentenced all nine policemen to death.