In a landmark judgement, a court here on Monday awarded death penalty to nine police personnel in the sensational 2020 Sathankulam custodial execution case.
Father-son duo P Jayaraj and G Penix were allegedly assaulted by convict cops in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district, for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open in violation of coronavirus norms.
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Describing the case as one of the rarest of cases, Senior Additional District and Sessions Judge G Muthukumaran said that those entrusted with protecting the public had committed a crime that had shaken the collective conscience of the society.
The court sentenced all nine convicted police personnel to death for the murder of Jayaraj and Benix.
Those convicted include former inspector S Sridhar, former sub-inspectors Balakrishnan and Raghu Ganesh, and chief constables Murugan and Samidurai.
In addition to the death penalty, the court imposed a combined fine of Rs $Rs 1.40 crore to the convicts will be paid as compensation to the families of the victims.
While pronouncing the sentence, the judge said that the police are meant to protect the common man and when they become the perpetrators of such brutality, the law must act as a deterrent.
She also pointed out that by killing the father and son at the same time, the police had uprooted the very foundation of the family.
The judge stressed that the punishment must be strict enough to ensure that such atrocities are not repeated.
The tragedy dates back to June 2020, when Jayaraj and Pinix were arrested for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open beyond the permissible business hours. They were subjected to severe physical attacks during their detention, which led to their death in hospital days later.
After widespread public outcry, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court took cognizance of the case, which was eventually investigated by the CBI.
A total of 105 witnesses were questioned over a period of five years. Among the first 10 accused, Special Inspector Buldurai died during the trial due to health complications.
