The Madurai District Court has awarded the death penalty to all nine accused policemen in the 2020 Sathankulam custodial death case of P Jeyaraj and his son J Beniks. The court also directed a total compensation of Rs 1.40 crore to the family.
The Madurai District Court sentenced the death penalty to all nine policemen accused in the custodial death case of P Jeyaraj and his son J Beniks, which occurred in Sathankulam of Thoothukudi district in 2020, observing that the case falls under the rarest of rare categories.
Landmark Judgement and Compensation
Speaking with ANI, Advocate Jaba Singh, representing the victims, welcomed the verdict and informed about the monetary compensation that the court directed two of the accused to pay. Upon failure, their "properties will be confiscated and sold, and the amount will be given to the victim's family". "The court has delivered a landmark judgment, awarding the death penalty to the accused from A1 to A9. The first accused (A1) has been ordered to pay a compensation of Rs 24 lakh. The second accused (A2) has been directed to pay Rs 16.30 lakh. In total, a compensation of Rs 1.40 crore must be paid to the mother of the deceased, Bennix. The court also stated that if the accused fails to pay the compensation, their properties will be confiscated and sold, and the amount will be given to the victim's family," Singh said.
Political Reactions
Meanwhile, AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathyan also hailed the judgement. Noting that it was the party's General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami who prescribed a CBI inquiry in the case, he criticised the DMK government for pending custodial murder cases. He asserted that the AIADMK, upon getting elected, will deliver justice to all these families. "We welcome the judgment. It has delivered justice to the families. Not forgetting to mention that it is our leader, EPS, who prescribed a CBI inquiry on the same to deliver justice to the family, and we are happy that justice has finally been delivered to them. However, since DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu, more than 30 custodial murders are still pending. Justice has to be given to 30 families. Once we are back in power by next month, justice will be delivered to those families as well," Sathyan told ANI.
Background of the Sathankulam Case
On June 19, 2020, the father and son were taken into custody by Sathankulam police. They were allegedly subjected to brutal assault at the police station that night and were later remanded to the Kovilpatti sub-jail.
Beniks died of injuries on June 22, while Jeyaraj succumbed the following day.
A total of ten policemen, including Inspector Sridhar, Sub-Inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, along with other personnel, were arrested in connection with the case and lodged in Madurai Central Prison. One of the accused, Paldurai, later died due to COVID-19.
The CBI filed its primary chargesheet against nine policemen on September 25, 2020, followed by a supplementary chargesheet on August 12, 2022.
According to the CBI investigation, Beniks had gone to the police station questioning his father's detention, which led to a confrontation. It is alleged that Inspector Sridhar instructed other policemen to "teach him a lesson", following which both were subjected to repeated custodial torture.
The father-son duo was arrested on June 19 and was lodged in the Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their mobile shop open during a curfew imposed amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
Jayaraju and Benicks were admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital on June 22, 2020. While the son died on the same night, the father breathed his last on the morning of June 23.
The CBI was handed over the case on July 7, 2020.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)