A Madurai district court will pronounce the sentence on April 2 for nine police personnel, including Inspector Sridhar, who have been convicted in the Sathankulam custodial death case.
The case relates to the COVID-19 lockdown period, when traders Jayaraj and his son Bennix from Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district were taken for inquiry, allegedly assaulted in illegal custody, and later died.
In an earlier order dated March 23, Judge Muthukumar said a false case was registered against the two men and that they were unlawfully detained and assaulted. The court held the nine policemen guilty in connection with the deaths and had initially fixed March 30 for sentencing.
During the latest hearing, the accused were produced before the court. The CBI submitted medical examination certificates regarding their physical and mental health, while the Centre and the State sought more time to file their submissions on the quantum of punishment.
The judge questioned the delay, noting that the matter involved either capital punishment or a lesser sentence, and observed that failure to file the reports reflected disregard for the court’s directions. Granting time, the court deferred sentencing to April 2.
