Tamil Nadu: 25 years after custodial death, DSP, 8 cops sentenced to life
Public Prosecutor Anand Gabriel said it was a historic judgement, ensuring justice after a long gap of 25 years;
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MADURAI: Thoothukudi additional district sessions court on Saturday convicted nine cops, including a present deputy superintendent of police, in a custodial death case dating back to 1999. All the convicted have been sentenced to undergo life imprisonment.
The court was conviced by the presentation of proofs by the prosecution that the victim Vincent (36) of Mela Alangarathattu in Thoothukudi was picked up by Thalamuthu Nagar police in Thoothukudi on September 17, 1999 for inquiry on charges of illegal possession of a country bomb but ended up in a custodial death due to torture inflicted in the the police station.
The victim, Vincent, was a salt pan worker. He did not return home after witnessing a temple festival on the fateful night of September 17 in 1999. His wife approached Thalamuthu Nagar station to complain about his missing husband. Later, Krishnammal was shocked to learn that her husband, Vincent, was beaten to death by the cops at Thalamuthu Nagar station under suspicion of possession of a country bomb.
Vincent died on September 18, 1999, in police custody after undergoing torture at the hands of the cops. Angered by the death of Vincent, his relatives refused to accept the body, seeking action against the police responsible for his death.
Based on Thoothukudi RDO enquiry, a case was filed against eleven cops including Somasundaram, Jeyasekaran, Joseph Raj, Pichaiya, Chelladurai, Veerabahu, Sivasubramanian, Subbaiah, Rathinasamy, Balasubramanian and S Ramakrishnan, who’s currently the DSP of Srivaikuntam.
Sessions court judge M Thandavan, after examining the witnesses, found nine of them guilty in the case and two others, including Sivasubramanian and Rathinasamy, were acquitted. The Judge pronounced the sentence and the accused were punished under Section 302 (murder) of IPC. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of the accused.
Public Prosecutor Anand Gabriel said it was a historic judgement, ensuring justice after a long gap of 25 years. The case was set for trial in 2024 and during the prosecution, 13 witnesses were examined and 38 documents marked, he said. In the end, justice prevailed. Seven cops linked to the case have retired from service, he told reporters.