07/04/2026
DEATH PENALTY TO NINE COPS IN TAMIL NADU
In the much awaited verdict of Sathankulam Father and son custodial death case, nine Cops have been sentenced to death by Madurai CBI court, Tamil Nadu over the custodial death in 2020 during the COVID19 first wave period simply because of father and son opened the shop for 15 minutes.
Victims were Jeyaraj, 58, and his son Benicks, 38, both died in jail in the southern state of Tamil Nadu after they were detained by the present accused and the then police for allegedly keeping their mobile phone shop open in breach of lockdown rules during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both father and son were were tortured and ruthlessly assaulted in front of each other in the police custody itself and it will not happen even in the Monarchy too. While pronouncing the sentencing judge said on Monday that the act of the 9 acuudef are nothing but a clear abuse of power.
The Judge cited that "They, the accused did this crime with the intention of killing,"both father and son without any reasonable doubt.
All the nine police including Inspector of Police, Sub Inspector of Police Head Constables and other Cops , who were found guilty of murder with a willful intention.
"The Judge said that all these accused have attacked unarmed innocent people. They should not be forgiven. They should not be given lesser sentences based on their age or family background. They are all educated with sound mind" when committing these crimes.
Actually Ten Cops were arrested in connection with the brutal deaths of the father and son but one of the accused died of Covid in 2020 pandemic time.
The case paved way for protests in Tamil Nadu, especially by the then opposition party like DMK and other state opposition lawmakers among those who took to the streets for the custodial death of father and son.
The then pposition leaders M. K. Stalin, Rahul Gandhi and Indian cricket star Shikhar Dhawan were among those who demanded justice for the two men custodial death on social media.
The deaths also brought to the light the police brutality in Indian Police system.
The convicted personnel include former Police Inspector S. Sridhar, Sub-Inspectors P. Ragu Ganesh and K. Balakrishnan, Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai (died in 2020), Head Constables S. Murugan and A. Samidurai, and Constables M. Muthuraja, S. Chelladurai, X. Thomas Francis, and S. Veilumuthu.
The death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.