Huge News: 9 Policemen Get Death Penalty In 1 Case

In what could be considered a legally stunning case, the Madurai court has granted death penalty to 9 police officers who are named in a controversial custodial death case.

A Madurai court on Monday sentenced all nine police officers convicted in the Sathankulam custodial death case to death, nearly six years after the brutal killing of father and son Jayaraj and Bennix by police personnel.

The First Additional District and Sessions Court, Madurai, delivered the ruling with Judge G. Muthukumaran observing that this was a rare case where police officers, tasked with maintaining law and order, had themselves acted unlawfully.

The court also ordered the convicted officers to pay a total compensation of Rs 1.40 crore to the family of the deceased. The Central Bureau of Investigation had argued for the maximum punishment of death, while the defence had sought a minimum sentence.

The nine officers were found guilty on March 23 under multiple sections of the IPC, including Section 302 for murder. The court rejected defence arguments that the injuries were self-inflicted, citing post-mortem reports showing repeated assault. It also ruled out natural causes in Jayaraj’s death despite his history of heart ailment, concluding that the injuries from the assault were directly responsible.

The incident took place on June 19, 2020, when Jayaraj and Bennix were arrested at the Sathankulam Police Station in Tamil Nadu for allegedly keeping their shop open beyond permitted hours during the Covid-19 lockdown. Both men were severely assaulted while in custody. Bennix died on June 22 and Jayaraj the following day.

The case had sparked widespread public outrage across the country and prompted the Madras High Court’s Madurai bench to take suo motu cognisance.