Madurai, April 7: In a landmark ruling, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai has sentenced nine police officers to death in the highly publicized Sathankulam custodial torture and death case. This case involves the brutal beating and subsequent deaths of a father-son duo, Jayaraj and his son Bennix, while in police custody.
The incident occurred on June 19, 2020, when officers from the Sathankulam police station wrongfully detained Jayaraj. Bennix, who had gone to the station to inquire about his father, was also allegedly taken into custody following a confrontation. Reports indicate that both were severely beaten and subjected to inhumane torture by the police officers during the night of June 19 and 20. Bennix succumbed to his injuries on June 22, 2020, followed by Jayaraj on June 23, 2020.
Given the severity of the case, the Tamil Nadu government transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI conducted a thorough and impartial inquiry, filing a charge sheet against the nine accused within 90 days.
The Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench took suo motu cognizance of the incident, stating that it prima facie appeared to be a case of murder. The bench expressed concern over attempts to destroy evidence and ordered an immediate CB-CID investigation before the case was handed over to the CBI.
The nine police officers found guilty include the then Station House Officer (SHO) S. Sridhar, Sub-Inspectors P. Raghunesh and K. Balakrishnan, Head Constable S. Murugan, Police Constables S. Chelladurai, M. Muthuraja, A. Samadurai, X. Thomas Francis, and S. Velumuthu.
All accused were convicted under Sections 302 (murder), 342 (illegal detention), and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Following the court’s decision, as the nine convicted officers were being taken from the Madurai District Court to the central prison, their family members were seen weeping and seeking to meet them.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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