In a rare judicial intervention against police brutality, a Madurai court has convicted nine security personnel in the Sathankulam custodial torture and death case involving a father-son duo.
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In a rare judicial intervention against police brutality, a Madurai court has convicted nine security personnel in the Sathankulam custodial torture and death case involving a father-son duo, awarding death penalty to the accused for the horrific crime that shocked the nation in 2020. This landmark verdict not only reinstates a sense of faith in the judiciary but also sends a strong message to those in uniform that custodial violence will not be tolerated and that they cannot torture unarmed citizens at will. The judgement is fitting for the chilling murder committed by police officers who are primarily tasked with enforcing laws impartially, protecting rights, providing public safety, and preventing crime. What occurred in June 2020 was precisely what they should not have done. Investigations revealed that the Tamil Nadu police arrested trader P. Jayaraj on false charges of breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules on that fateful day before his son Benicks was also detained when he enquired about his father’s arrest. What followed was brutal torture inflicted by the personnel in uniform, who forced the father and son to clean their bloodstains with their own clothes in a bid to conceal the evidence. Then a government doctor cleared them “fit for remand”, indicating oversight at various levels. The father-son duo ultimately succumbed to their injuries. Amid public outrage, the case was transferred to the CBI, which named 10 police men in its chargesheet, including an inspector, two sub-inspectors, and a special sub-inspector who died due to COVID-19, leading to the final pronouncement of the verdict after six long years. Many questions will linger in the minds of the public: Would the victims have received justice if the CBI had not taken up the case? Would this case have been dismissed as just another suspicious custodial death if not for the overwhelming evidence of police excesses and the public outcry for justice? Will the latest judgement serve as a precedent for similar cases in the future?
The conviction of police officers should mark the beginning of a new era of custodial justice founded on the principle of equality before the law and respect for human rights. Such a move is essential, given the prevalence of custodial torture and deaths in the absence of specific laws against such criminal acts in India. According to data presented by the Ministry of Home Affairs in Parliament last month, a total of 806 cases of custodial deaths were registered across the country over the past five years, ending on March 15, 2026, including four in Nagaland. This indicates that impunity for torture persists, despite laws in place to prevent custodial torture and provisions for protections against arbitrary arrest and detention under Article 22 of the Indian Constitution. To effectively address the issue that undermines human rights and dignity, an anti-torture law should be enacted to criminalise such acts. The centre also must revoke the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from several north-eastern states. The landmark ruling by the Madurai court regarding the custodial death case holds little significance in "disturbed" areas, as the draconian law grants security forces sweeping powers to search, arrest, and open fire on any person on mere suspicion to the extent of causing death. This was exemplified by the quashing of all criminal proceedings against Indian Army personnel involved in the brutal killing of several innocent civilians at Oting village in 2021.