Indian Court Awards Death Sentence to Nine Police Officers in Sathankulam Custodial Deaths Case
Madurai court terms 2020 torture and killing of father-son duo a ‘rarest of rare’ crime, imposes ₹1.40 crore fine as compensation
MADURAI, India — April 8, 2026 — A court in Tamil Nadu has sentenced nine police personnel to death for the brutal custodial torture and murder of a father and son during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, in a landmark judgment that legal experts say sends a powerful message against police impunity in India.
The First Additional District and Sessions Judge G. Muthukumaran in Madurai classified the case as the “rarest of rare,” observing that those entrusted with protecting the public had committed a crime that shook the collective conscience of society.
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“Police are meant to protect the common man, and when they become the perpetrators of such brutality, the law must act as a deterrent,” the judge said while pronouncing the quantum of punishment. The court noted that by killing both the father and the son at once, the police had “uprooted the very foundation of a family”.
In addition to the death penalty, the court imposed a combined fine of ₹1.40 crore on the convicts to be paid as compensation to the victims’ family.
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The Convicted Officers
The nine convicted police personnel include:
- S. Sridhar, former Inspector and then SHO of Sathankulam Police Station
- P. Raghu Ganesh, Sub-Inspector
- K. Balakrishnan, Sub-Inspector
- S. Murugan, Head Constable
- A. Samadurai, Head Constable
- M. Muthuraja, Constable
- S. Chelladurai, Constable
- X. Thomas Francis, Constable
- S. Veilumuthu, Constable
A tenth accused, Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, died during the trial due to COVID-19 related health complications.
The 2020 Incident
The tragedy dates back to June 19, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. P. Jayaraj (58) and his son J. Bennix (31), who ran a mobile phone shop in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district, were picked up by police for allegedly keeping their shop open beyond permitted hours during the lockdown.
What followed was a night of unimaginable brutality. According to the prosecution’s case, both father and son were mercilessly beaten and tortured at the Sathankulam Police Station on the intervening night of June 19 and 20, 2020.
According to evidence presented during the trial, the victims were stripped and assaulted with weapons throughout the night. In an act of particular depravity, they were forced to clean their own blood from the police station floor using their vests in an attempt to hide evidence of the violence.
The postmortem report indicated that there had been 13 external injuries on Bennix’s body and 17 injuries on Jayaraj’s body, almost all of which were blunt injuries. The victims were later remanded to judicial custody and lodged in Kovilpatti Sub-Jail without being given proper medical treatment.
Bennix succumbed to his injuries on June 22, 2020, at Kovilpatti Government Hospital. His father Jayaraj passed away the following day.
Investigation and Trial
Following massive public outrage and widespread media coverage, the Madras High Court took suo motu cognisance of the case. The Tamil Nadu government subsequently transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI filed a 2,000-page charge sheet against the accused within 90 days of taking over the case. Over the five-year trial period, more than 100 witnesses were examined.
A woman head constable who was on duty during the incident provided crucial eyewitness testimony, confirming the brutal nature of the assault throughout the night. Forensic evidence, including DNA matches of bloodstains found on walls and wooden logs used in the assault, provided irrefutable physical proof.
Legal Arguments and Verdict
The CBI argued that the case represented a gross violation of human rights that had shaken the conscience of society, falling within the “rarest of rare” category warranting the death penalty.
The defence counsel argued that the case resulted from sudden provocation and requested lesser punishment, focusing on the reformation of the convicts.
However, the victim’s counsel pointed out that the police continued to beat the duo throughout the night, fully aware of the consequences of their actions, indicating they were beyond reformation.
The judge concluded that the case fell within the “rarest of rare” category and imposed the death penalty.
Reactions
Speaking to reporters moments after the verdict, Persis, Jayaraj’s daughter and Bennix’s elder sister, wondered how the policemen—men with families of their own—could descend to such “beastly behaviour”.
“It was a heinous crime committed with brazen authority,” she said. Throughout the six-year-long pursuit of justice, Persis and her mother maintained a steadfast legal battle against the State.
Tamil Nadu Congress President K. Selvaperunthagai welcomed the verdict, stating that justice was achieved through the CBI probe and the DMK government’s cooperation. However, he clarified that while he does not personally believe in the death penalty, punishment was needed in this case to uphold justice.
Broader Context
Data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows that between 2011 and 2022, only one police officer in Tamil Nadu was convicted for custodial violence. The Sathankulam verdict marks one of the few instances in Indian judicial history where an entire group of police personnel has been sentenced to death for a single incident of custodial murder.
Legal experts expect the convicts to appeal the sentence in the Madras High Court.
SOURCES / INPUTS
Hindustan Times: 9 cops who tortured and killed father-son duo sentenced to death by courtThe New Indian Express: 9 Tamil Nadu Cops Get Death Sentence In Thoothukudi Father-Son Custodial Torture Case
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