2 months ago
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The communicative truthful far:
Nearly six years aft the Sattankulam custodial torture deaths of trader P. Jayaraj and his lad J. Benicks, the First Additional District and Sessions Court successful Madurai volition present the verdict successful the lawsuit connected March 23, 2026 (Monday).
The horrific transgression took spot successful June 2020 successful Sattankulam, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, during the countrywide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It shocked civilian nine and sparked wide protests.
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court took suo motu cognisance of the transgression by the constabulary and passed a slew of directions. The past AIADMK authorities transferred the probe successful the lawsuit to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In all, 10 constabulary unit were named arsenic accused successful the case. One of them died aft contracting COVID-19. The CBI has prosecuted 9 constabulary personnel.
What happened connected the time of the incident?
On June 19, 2020, Jayaraj, who was successful his lad Benicks’s mobile telephone income and work showroom, was picked up by the constabulary for allegedly violating COVID-19 lockdown rules.
It is said that connected June 18, 2020, astatine night, erstwhile a fewer workers successful a adjacent store were waiting for their wages, the constabulary verbally abused them and asked them to leave. Jayaraj heard from the workers astir the verbal maltreatment and had asked them to enactment for a fewer much minutes. This accusation was passed connected by a constabulary caput constable to his colleagues.
The adjacent day, successful the evening, the constabulary picked up Jayaraj from the shop. On seeing this, Benicks rushed to the Sattankulam constabulary presumption and appealed to the constabulary to merchandise his father. Jayaraj was verbally and physically abused by the constabulary successful the station. Benicks intervened. Later, they were some tortured astatine the constabulary presumption by the constabulary unit the full night. They sustained superior injuries.
They were detained astatine the constabulary station. The household members were told that the begetter and lad would beryllium fto disconnected the adjacent morning. The household was asked to bring caller sets of clothes.
However, connected June 20, 2020, the traders were taken to the Sattankulam Government Hospital for a aesculapian test. Their blood-soaked apparel were changed. Subsequently, they were produced earlier the Sattankulam Judicial Magistrate and remanded successful judicial custody. They were lodged successful Kovilpatti Sub-Jail.
The begetter and lad were taken to the Kovilpatti Government Hospital aft they developed wellness complications.
On June 22, 2020, Benicks’s bleeding became uncontrollable owed to a haemorrhage and helium became unconscious. He died astatine the hospital. On June 23, 2020, Jayaraj complained of thorax pain. He excessively died astatine the hospital. The deaths of the traders triggered monolithic protests.
Human rights organisations and activists condemned the constabulary brutality. They besides condemned the mode successful which the Judicial Magistrate had remanded the traders and criticised the aesculapian officer.
What were the directions issued by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which initiated suo motu proceedings?
On June 24, 2020, a Division Bench of Justices P.N. Prakash and B. Pugalendhi of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court initiated suo motu proceedings successful transportation with the custodial torture and deaths case. The tribunal said it would show the lawsuit and urged the nationalist to stay calm. The tribunal ordered a judicial inquiry.
Even arsenic the High Court initiated suo motu proceedings, the past authorities transferred the probe successful the lawsuit to the CBI. Expressing a deficiency of assurance successful the section police, the tribunal directed the CB-CID to instrumentality implicit the probe into the lawsuit till it was formally taken implicit by the CBI.
The Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate, successful a report, told the High Court that the Sattankulam constabulary did not cooperate with the enquiry and tried to make an intimidating ambience. The study said that close from the clip the Judicial Magistrate stepped into the Sattankulam constabulary station, the constabulary officers did not admit the magistrate’s beingness and showed an indifferent attitude.
The study said that documents were brought to the Judicial Magistrate successful a delayed mode and, erstwhile the CCTV footage was assessed, it came to airy that it was calibrated successful specified a mode that each day’s grounds would get overwritten the pursuing day.
There was nary footage of the time of the incident, adjacent though determination was capable retention abstraction successful the CCTV system, the study said. However, a pistillate constabulary constable revealed that the traders were tortured passim the night.
Taking a superior presumption of the issue, the High Court directed the Thoothukudi Collector to depute gross officials to instrumentality power of the constabulary presumption and unafraid applicable materials. The forensic squad was besides directed to cod grounds truthful that it could beryllium protected and handed implicit to the CBI.
The High Court initiated contempt proceedings against 3 constabulary personnel—Additional Superintendent of Police D. Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police C. Prathapan, and constabulary constable Maharajan—for not cooperating with the Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate during the inquiry. The contempt proceedings were aboriginal closed aft the policemen tendered unconditional apologies.
During the people of the hearing, the judges besides spoke to caput constable S. Revathy, who spilled the beans connected the custodial torture. The tribunal ensured that she was provided capable protection.
The tribunal took into relationship the pistillate caput constable’s statement, the aesculapian report, and the Judicial Magistrate’s report, and recovered prima facie worldly to publication the constabulary unit progressive successful the custodial deaths for murder.
While taking a superior presumption of the case, the High Court besides inquired astir constabulary well-being programmes.
Only done specified programmes could convulsive propensity successful individuals beryllium stymied, the tribunal said, portion directing the State authorities to allocate indispensable funds for the continuation of specified programmes. The tribunal added that a fewer atrocious apples should not beryllium a crushed to condemn the full force.
The High Court recommended that the State authorities survey the anticipation of replicating the ‘Magizhchi’ programme, launched by the Chennai City Police, successful different districts of Tamil Nadu.
What did the CBI’s chargesheet reveal?
The Central Bureau of Investigation submitted a chargesheet connected September 25, 2020, and a supplementary chargesheet connected August 12, 2022, earlier the Chief Judicial Magistrate successful Madurai.
The CBI filed the chargesheet against the past Inspector S. Sridhar; Sub-Inspectors P. Raghu Ganesh and K. Balakrishnan; caput constables S. Murugan and A. Saamidurai; and constables M. Muthuraj, S. Chelladurai, X. Thomas Francis, and S. Veilumuthu. Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, an accused successful the case, died aft contracting COVID-19.
The CBI, successful its chargesheet, said that Jayaraj and Benicks were subjected to brutal torture by the policemen, who knew that it was capable to origin their deaths.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the traders had not violated COVID-19 lockdown rules, the complaint connected which they had been detained.
The CBI said that the probe revealed that Jayaraj was picked up from his store adjacent the Kamaraj statue astatine 7.30 p.m. connected June 19, 2020, and lodged astatine the Sattankulam constabulary presumption successful pursuance of a transgression conspiracy hatched by the accused.
On receiving information, Benicks rushed to the presumption to enquire astir the apprehension of his father. He objected to his begetter being beaten. Following an altercation, the 2 were wrongfully confined astatine the constabulary presumption and beaten to thatch them a acquisition connected however to behave with the police. The torture continued for respective hours passim the night.
Jayaraj and Benicks were made to cleanable the humor from their wounds. The adjacent morning, a sanitation idiosyncratic of the Sattankulam constabulary presumption was made to cleanable the humor connected the level to destruct evidence. A mendacious lawsuit was registered against the 2 by the policemen, the CBI said.
A “fit for remand” certificate was obtained contempt terrible injuries. The blood-stained apparel were dumped successful the dustbin of the Sattankulam Government Hospital.
Jayaraj and Benicks were limping and incapable to beryllium decently erstwhile they were produced earlier the aesculapian officer. They were subsequently produced earlier the Judicial Magistrate for remand.
At the Kovilpatti Sub-Jail, the 2 developed wellness complications and aboriginal succumbed to their injuries astatine the Kovilpatti Government Hospital.
In the supplementary chargesheet, the CBI submitted a study regarding the introspection of video footage disposable successful the case.
Why were aggregate extensions of clip granted to implicit the trial?
While disposing of a petition filed by J. Selvarani, woman of Jayaraj and parent of Benicks, the High Court successful March 2021 directed the proceedings tribunal to implicit the proceedings wrong six months, observing that “justice delayed is justness denied” and “justice hurried is justness buried”.
However, connected aggregate occasions, the High Court granted further clip to the proceedings tribunal to implicit the trial.
In 2023, the High Court granted further time, taking into relationship that the station of presiding serviceman was vacant and the lawsuit was being heard by the Additional District Judge for CBI cases successful Madurai arsenic an further charge.
In June 2025, during the proceeding of a bail petition filed by the premier accused, the High Court was informed that the accused had participated successful the proceedings successful idiosyncratic and cross-examined witnesses astatine magnitude implicit aggregate hearings.
The Judicial Magistrate was cross-examined implicit 26 hearings from October 16, 2023, to February 2, 2024, and the Investigating Officer was cross-examined implicit 21 hearings from March 27, 2024, to September 26, 2024. The High Court was told that the volition was to hold the proceedings and forestall the proceedings tribunal from disposing of the case.
Multiple bail petitions filed by the accused were dismissed by the High Court. The accused are lodged successful Madurai Central Prison.
The premier accused, Sridhar, besides filed an exertion earlier the proceedings tribunal seeking to crook approver. The plea was dismissed. Selvarani objected to the application, stating that it was intended to hold the trial.
The CBI besides opposed the plea, stating that Sridhar was the main conspirator and premier accused. Jayaraj and Benicks were allegedly tortured astatine his behest erstwhile helium was the Station House Officer of the Sattankulam Police Station.
What has the proceedings tribunal said?
With the First Additional District and Sessions Court successful Madurai volition pronounce the judgement successful the 2020 Sattankulam custodial deaths lawsuit connected March 23, 2026. Judge G. Muthukumaran has posted the substance for judgment.
