A special court in Madurai on Monday handed the death penalty to all nine police personnel convicted in the 2020 Sathankulam custodial deaths of Jayaraj and his son Bennicks. As per Live Law, those awarded capital punishment include Sridhar, Murugan, Raghuganesh, Chelladurai, Balakrishnan, Muthuraj, Thoman Francis, Veyilmuthu, and Samudurai. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 15 lakh on Sridhar. The father and son were detained by Sathankulam police in Thoothukudi district on June 19, 2020, for allegedly breaching Covid-19 lockdown rules. Their deaths from severe injuries inflicted during torture had triggered widespread outrage across the country.
Court finds custodial torture 'rarest of rare'
The verdict follows a lengthy trial during which the court examined detailed evidence and testimonies. The prosecution described the crime as falling within the "rarest of rare" category and sought the strongest punishment, arguing that the brutality inflicted on traders P Jayaraj and J Bennicks had shaken the conscience of society. The CBI counsel asserted that the victims were subjected to relentless assault using weapons which constitutes a grave violation of human rights deserving the maximum penalty.
CBI probe strengthens case against accused officers
Rejecting the defence claim that the injuries were self-inflicted, the court relied on post-mortem findings that pointed to repeated assaults. It concluded that the deaths were the result of murder and held all nine policemen guilty. The CBI, which took over the case, submitted a primary chargesheet of 2,027 pages and a supplementary chargesheet of 400 pages. More than 100 witnesses were examined during the trial that extended over five years.
