Chennai, May 2:
The Madras High Court has granted time to nine police personnel convicted in the sensational Sathankulam Custodial Deaths Case to file appeals against the trial court verdict awarding them double death sentences. A Division Bench comprising Justices N Anand Venkatesh and K K Ramakrishnan posted the matter for further hearing on June 4.
The convictions stem from the custodial deaths of trader P. Jayaraj (58) and his son J. Bennicks (31) in June 2020 in Thoothukudi district. On April 6, Madurai First Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran awarded double death sentences to nine policemen, including Inspector S. Sridhar, citing the brutality of the crime. The court held them guilty under multiple charges, noting that the offence “shocked the conscience of society” and qualified as a “rarest of rare” case.
According to the prosecution led by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the father-son duo were picked up on June 19, 2020, allegedly for violating lockdown norms, and were subjected to brutal custodial torture throughout the night. They were later remanded to judicial custody despite severe injuries and died within days, triggering nationwide outrage and raising serious concerns over custodial violence and police accountability.
Investigations revealed fabrication of records, destruction of evidence and intimidation of witnesses by the accused officers. The CBI filed a detailed chargesheet and arrested 10 policemen in the case, one of whom later died. The High Court’s latest order now allows the convicted personnel to challenge the death sentence as the legal proceedings move into the appellate stage.