Sathankulam custodial death: Noose for 9 Sathan cops

MADURAI: Holding that life imprisonment was not enough for the nine policemen who brutally assaulted, tortured, and murdered the father-son duo who lived honourable and dignified lives, a court in Madurai awarded death penalty to the officials found guilty in the 2020 Sathankulam custodial double murder case on Monday.

P Jayaraj and his son J Bennix were tortured to death by the convicted policemen in Sathankulam in Thoothukudi for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open in violation of COVID-19 norms.

Court calls case ‘rarest of rare’

Delivering the verdict, First Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran classified the case as the rarest of rare, observing that those entrusted with protecting the public had committed a crime that shook the collective conscience of society.

“The two unarmed men were illegally kept in police custody, stripped naked — the son in front of the father and the father in front of the son — and inspector S Sridhar along with nine police personnel brutally assaulted and tortured them without any mercy,” the judge said.

The injuries on the bodies of the father and son and the post-mortem video recordings were blood-curdling, said judge Muthukumaran, adding that the torture that they inflicted on the victims reflected their brutal mindset.

The Supreme Court and High Courts have already issued various guidelines on how the police should treat the public, including those in custody during investigation. But this case was an example that the police do not follow these guidelines properly, said the judge, noting the example of the death of B Ajith Kumar, a security guard at the Madapuram temple, in police custody.

Severe punishment needed to prevent custodial deaths, says court

The convicts include former inspector S Sridhar, former sub-inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, and head constables Murugan and Saamidurai.

In addition to the capital punishment, the court imposed a combined fine of Rs 1.40 crore on the convicts to be paid as compensation to the victims' family. If the fine is not paid, the government must take steps to recover the amount from the concerned persons as per the Revenue Recovery Act, the court directed.

How Jayaraj and Bennix were killed in custody

The incident dates back to June 2020, when Jayaraj and Bennix were picked up for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open beyond permitted hours. They were subjected to extreme physical assault while in custody, leading to their deaths at a hospital days later.

Following a massive public outcry, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court took notice of the case, which was eventually investigated by the CBI. Of the 10 accused, special sub inspector Pauldurai died during the trial due to health complications.