Madurai court has delivered a landmark verdict in the 2020 Sathankulam custodial deaths case, sentencing nine police personnel to death after finding them guilty of the brutal torture and murder of a father and son, P. Jeyaraj and J. Bennix. The case, which shocked Tamil Nadu and drew nationwide attention, stemmed from the arrest of the duo in June 2020 for allegedly violating COVID-19 lockdown rules, following which they were subjected to severe custodial assault and died on consecutive days due to their injuries.
Delivering the judgment, First Additional District and Sessions Judge G. Muthukumaran held that the prosecution had conclusively established that the deaths were a direct result of sustained custodial violence inflicted by the accused police personnel. The court observed that the victims were unlawfully assaulted while in custody and that there was a deliberate attempt to cover up the crime by destroying evidence and fabricating records.
In his remarks, the judge underscored the gravity of the offence, stating that the case fell within the “rarest of rare” category warranting the maximum punishment. He noted that custodial torture strikes at the very foundation of the rule of law and erodes public trust in the justice system. The court emphasised that those entrusted with enforcing the law had instead become perpetrators of a heinous crime, making the offence more severe. According to the judgment, “life imprisonment will not create fear among police,” and therefore, “death penalty is appropriate in this case.”
The court further highlighted that the victims were subjected to repeated assaults over several hours inside the police station, and that the evidence presented, including witness testimonies and forensic findings, clearly demonstrated the extent of brutality involved. It also pointed out that the accused had acted in a coordinated manner and attempted to suppress material evidence, aggravating the seriousness of the crime.
The judgment comes nearly six years after the incident, following an extensive investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and a prolonged trial during which over a hundred witnesses were examined. The court had earlier, in March 2026, found all nine accused guilty and reserved the question of sentencing before ultimately awarding capital punishment.
The Sathankulam case had become a symbol of custodial violence in India, prompting widespread protests and calls for police accountability. With this verdict, the court has delivered one of the most stringent punishments in a custodial death case, underlining the judiciary’s stance on abuse of power by law enforcement authorities.
