Justice Served: Nine Policemen Sentenced to Death in Sathankulam Custodial Death Case

In a historic verdict, a court in Tamil Nadu handed the death penalty to nine police officers involved in the 2020 Sathankulam custodial deaths. The victims, father-son duo P Jayaraj and J Bennix, were beaten to death for allegedly violating COVID-19 restrictions.

The court, led by First Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran, delivered the sentence citing the rarest of rare criteria, condemning the heinous acts of those supposed to safeguard the public. Besides the capital punishment, the convicts were ordered to pay Rs 1.40 crore as compensation to the victims' family.

The Central Bureau of Investigation, which conducted an exhaustive inquiry following widespread outrage, revealed that the victims were tortured mercilessly. With one accused dying during the trial, justice has echoed across Tamil Nadu, aiming to curb police atrocities and restore public trust.