HC directs trial court to complete case in 3 mths

MADURAI: The Madurai bench of Madras High Court on Monday directed the trial court to complete the prosecution of the Sathankulam custodial deaths case within a period of three months.

P Jeyaraj and his son J Bennix died in the month of June in 2020 allegedly due to torture by the Sathankulam police, Thoothukudi district.

It was unfortunate that Jayaraj, who was arrested on June 19, 2020, by the Sathankulam police, died on June 22 as a result of physical torture by the police. His son, Bennix, who approached the Sathankulam police station following the arrest of Jayaraj, also suffered similar physical torture and died on the morning of June 23.

After their deaths, the aggrieved Selvarani, wife of Jayaraj, had filed a petition before the High Court to expedite the trial and arrest those involved in the crime.

The High Court then directed the lower court in Madurai to conduct a fair trial and complete it in time. A total of ten police personnel, including the then Inspector Sridhar were arrested in connection with the custodial deaths of the father-son duo and one of them died during the trial.

The counsel on behalf of CBI while raising objections to a bail plea of the jailed former Sathankulam Inspector of Police Sridhar, said since the counsel defending the accused in the case is cross-examining the witnesses, it’s causing a delay in the trial.

But under the pretext of cross-examination, such delays were caused intentionally in the trial. It took almost one and a half months to enquire about a witness in the case. After the hearing, Justice G Ilangovan dismissed the bail plea and ordered the trial court to complete the prosecution in three months.