NEW DELHI: In a landmark verdict that has drawn national attention, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai on April 6, 2026, sentenced all nine convicted policemen to death for the brutal custodial torture and murder of trader P. Jayaraj (58) and his son J. Benicks (31) at the Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi district in June 2020.
The court, presided over by Judge G. Muthukumaran, classified the case as falling under the “rarest of rare” category. It imposed the death sentence on each of the nine accused and directed them to pay a collective fine of ₹1.40 crore (or ₹1 crore as per some reports) as compensation to the victims’ family. The sentences are subject to confirmation by the Madras High Court.
The convicted policemen are: then Inspector S. Sridhar; Sub-Inspectors K. Balakrishnan and P. Raghu Ganesh; Head Constables S. Murugan and A. Samadurai (also referred to as A. Saamidurai); and Constables M. Muthuraja, S. Chelladurai, X. Thomas Francis, and S. Vailmuthu (also spelled S. Veilumuthu). A tenth accused, Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, died during the trial after contracting COVID-19.
Judge’s Observations on Brutality and Abuse of Power
Judge G. Muthukumaran made strong remarks while pronouncing the sentence, stating that the case involved extreme brutality where the policemen, who are duty-bound to protect citizens, instead committed double murder. He observed that the heart shudders upon reading the details of the assault. The judge emphasised that those who receive public money as salary cannot cite stress as a reason for such acts and noted that the policemen misused their power “like the fence eating away at the grass.”
He further remarked that if ordinary citizens had committed the same crime, ordinary punishment could have been given, but since the police themselves committed it, the punishment must serve as a strong deterrent. The judge highlighted that but for the continuous monitoring by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, the truth would have been buried. He added that a life sentence might embolden police officials, thinking they could come out after serving it, and stressed the need for responsibility alongside power.
Details of the 2020 Incident
The incident occurred on June 19, 2020, during the strict COVID-19 lockdown. Jayaraj and Benicks, who ran a mobile phone shop in Sathankulam, were arrested for allegedly violating lockdown norms by keeping their shop open beyond permitted hours, a charge later found to be unsubstantiated. Jayaraj was picked up first. When his son Benicks went to the station to inquire and objected to the treatment, both were wrongfully confined and subjected to severe torture overnight.
According to the CBI probe, the father and son were stripped, ruthlessly assaulted with weapons in front of each other as an act of vendetta, and forced to clean their own blood from the station floor. A sanitation worker was later made to wipe blood stains to destroy evidence. Blood-stained clothes were discarded in a hospital dustbin. Despite their visible injuries, including rectal bleeding, a “fit for remand” certificate was obtained, and a false case was registered against them.
They were remanded to judicial custody at Kovilpatti sub-jail. Benicks died on June 22, 2020, due to severe bleeding and haemorrhage, followed by Jayaraj on June 23, 2020, at a government hospital. The post-mortem report indicated 13 external injuries on Benicks’ body and 17 on Jayaraj’s body.
Public Outrage and CBI Investigation
The deaths triggered widespread protests across Tamil Nadu and the country, with traders shutting shops and demands for justice. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court took suo motu cognisance on June 24, 2020, and on June 29 handed over the investigation to the CBI due to lack of confidence in the local police.
The CBI arrested the accused policemen and filed a chargesheet invoking charges of murder, criminal conspiracy, and destruction of evidence, including the deletion of CCTV footage from the Sathankulam station. Over 100 witnesses were examined during the trial that lasted more than five years. On March 23, 2026, the court convicted all nine surviving accused of double murder and related offences.
The judgment has been described as a strong message against custodial violence and abuse of authority. The court noted that the policemen were mentally sound, educated, and drawing government salaries, yet they acted in a manner that violated human rights and eroded public trust. It aimed to ensure that such incidents do not recur and to uphold the rule of law.
The death sentences, though awarded, will undergo mandatory confirmation by the Madras High Court, and appeals are expected. The case continues to highlight issues of police accountability and the role of judicial oversight in custodial death matters.
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