In a significant ruling that has sparked a national conversation on custodial violence, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai has handed down the death penalty to nine police officers convicted in the 2020 Sattankulam custodial deaths case. The case revolves around the tragic deaths of trader P. Jayaraj (58) and his son J. Benicks (31) due to alleged severe torture while in police custody. The court, after finding all nine accused guilty on March 23, 2026, had been deliberating on the appropriate sentencing.
Today, the court declared the punishment, agreeing with the prosecution’s stance that the crime qualified as among the “rarest of rare,” justifying the imposition of capital punishment. Both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the victims’ family representatives strongly advocated for the maximum penalty during the sentencing proceedings. They emphasized that the victims had endured brutal torture at the Sattankulam police station without committing any serious offenses, warranting the severest legal consequences.
The case had sparked nationwide outrage in 2020, leading the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to take suo motu cognizance of the matter. Subsequently, the investigation was transferred from the state police to the CBI by the former AIADMK government to ensure an unbiased inquiry. Originally involving 10 accused police personnel, one of them, Special Sub-Inspector Pauldurai, passed away due to COVID-19 during the trial, leaving nine to face prosecution.
The CBI, in its investigations, filed a primary charge sheet in September 2020, followed by a supplementary charge sheet in August 2022, outlining the events and evidence collected. The court’s decision was based on evidence indicating that Jayaraj and Benicks were subjected to severe torture, including beatings, blood cleaning, and false implication in a case. Witness accounts, medical reports, and video analysis pointed to deliberate efforts to conceal evidence of the crime, leading the court to conclude that the accused had intentionally caused fatal injuries resulting in the tragic deaths of the father and son, justifying the death penalty.
