Udayakumar custodial death case: 20 yrs on, HC acquits all cops convicted by CBI court
The CBI court had earlier convicted five police officers of Fort Police Station after confirming that the 26-year-old youth from Killippalam died due to custodial torture on September 27, 2005
The CBI court had earlier convicted five police officers of Fort Police Station after confirming that the 26-year-old youth from Killippalam died due to custodial torture on September 27, 2005
The CBI court had earlier convicted five police officers of Fort Police Station after confirming that the 26-year-old youth from Killippalam died due to custodial torture on September 27, 2005
Kochi: Twenty years after the death of Udayakumar, the Kerala High Court on Wednesday acquitted all accused in the custodial death case. The CBI court had earlier convicted five police officers of Fort Police Station after confirming that the 26-year-old youth from Killippalam died due to custodial torture on September 27, 2005. The CBI had taken over the investigation in 2008 and concluded that the cops had murdered Udayakumar after taking him into custody over an alleged theft.
Considering the appeal of the convicts, a division bench of Judges Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar set aside the death sentence awarded to K Jithakumar and SV Sreekumar—two police officers—by the CBI court in 2018. The High Court also acquitted three other police officers—TK Haridas, T Ajith Kumar, and EK Sabu—in the case. The CBI court had previously awarded a three-year jail term to these convicts while sentencing the other two to death.
The case
According to the prosecution, Jithakumar and Sreekumar apprehended Udayakumar from a park, along with a known history-sheeter, and recovered ₹4,000 from them. Suspecting it to be stolen money, the cops allegedly tortured Udayakumar at the Fort police station in Thiruvananthapuram, which eventually led to the young man’s death.
The post-mortem reportedly revealed that Udayakumar had over 40 injuries on his thighs and lower abdomen.
The CBI took over the investigation in 2008, after Udayakumar’s mother approached the High Court, alleging that the state police were delaying the probe for obvious reasons.
Thirteen years after Udayakumar’s death, in 2018, the CBI special court in Thiruvananthapuram convicted five police officers. The CBI court awarded capital punishment to Jithakumar and Sreekumar, finding them guilty of murder. The three others were found guilty of conspiracy and destruction of evidence and were sentenced to three years of imprisonment.
All five later appealed to the High Court, challenging the judgment of the CBI court. These appeals were allowed by the Division Bench today.
Sreekumar, who had been awarded the death sentence, passed away during the pendency of the appeals.
(With Bar and Bench inputs)