Thoothukudi/Chennai: In a rare conviction in custodial death cases in Tamil Nadu, all nine police personnel facing charges over the death of a father-son duo in Sathankulam were pronounced guilty Monday, six years after Bennix and Jayaraj died following their arrest for allegedly violating COVID-19 lockdown norms.
Jayaraj and his son were arrested on 19 June 2020 in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open beyond what was permitted during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
On 22 June, the family was informed that Bennix died at the government hospital, with Jayaraj dying the next day. The deaths sparked widespread outrage over allegations of torture in police custody.
With the verdict, by Madurai Principal District Judge Muthukumaran, coming about a month before Tamil Nadu goes to polls, it has also drawn sharp political reactions, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam hitting out at the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which was in power in 2020.
Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Ragupathi described the Madurai court’s conviction of all nine police personnel as exposing “falsehoods” spread by the previous AIADMK regime under then chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.
He specifically pointed to Palaniswami’s statement in which the deaths of P. Jayaraj and J. Bennix after remand were attributed to “breathing difficulty” and “ill health”.
Ragupathi said the verdict “brought to light the falsity of those claims”. He accused the AIADMK government of attempting to “shield the accused police personnel by presenting misleading explanations and downplaying the incident”.
He demanded a public apology from Palaniswami for “misleading the public and trying to protect the guilty through false statements”.
The AIADMK, however, said the DMK has no moral authority to speak on the issue.
“It was Edappadi Palaniswami who ordered a CBI inquiry into this case. The DMK has no moral authority to speak on this issue, especially when multiple custodial deaths have occurred under its regime,” AIADMK spokesperson Kovai Sathya told ThePrint.
He further alleged that incidents such as the deaths of Vignesh and Ajith Kumar reflected a pattern of custodial violence being downplayed.
Vignesh, 25, died in police custody in April 2022 in Chennai after being arrested in a narcotics case. A post-mortem report found 13 injuries on his body, contradicting police claims that he died from a seizure. The case raised serious concerns about custodial violence and led to further investigation.
Ajith Kumar, a temple security guard from Sivaganga district, died in police custody in June 2025 after being detained in a jewellery theft case. He was allegedly assaulted during interrogation, and a post-mortem revealed multiple injuries and internal bleeding. His death intensified scrutiny over custodial practices in Tamil Nadu.
“The DMK cannot claim credit for the Sathankulam case. It was Edappadi Palaniswami who provided government jobs to the bereaved family,” Sathya said, adding he hoped the verdict would ensure justice for the victims’ family.
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The convicts
The accused in the Sathankulam custodial deaths case were all serving police personnel from the Sathankulam police station.
Ten police personnel were initially arrested, including inspector S. Sridhar, sub-inspectors K. Balakrishnan and P. Raghu Ganesh; head constables S. Murugan and A. Samadurai; and constables M. Muthuraj, S. Chelladurai, X. Thomas Francis, S. Veilumuthu and special sub inspector P Paldurai.
Inspector Sridhar was said to be the prime accused.
One of them, Special Sub-Inspector Paldurai, died during the course of the investigation, after which the CBI proceeded against the remaining nine accused. The charges included murder, criminal conspiracy, wrongful confinement, and destruction of evidence.
The case involved an extensive investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which examined 105 witnesses and filed a 2,427-page chargesheet. The court confirmed that the injuries sustained by the victims were the result of police assault, and questioned why the victims had been transported in a private vehicle instead of an official police vehicle.
All nine accused police personnel appeared before Madurai Principal District Judge Muthukumaran who convicted all the accused for murder, and set 30 March for the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment.
The judge ordered that all nine accused be remanded in judicial custody. The family members expressed their anguish, stating that those responsible were “not humans, but animals.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Bennix’s sister Persis said the family had been fighting for justice for over five and a half years. “They repeatedly assaulted my father and brother, which is what led to their deaths. The judge has now confirmed this,” she said.
Persis added that the family is awaiting the sentencing, scheduled for March 30, and spoke of the emotional toll the case has taken, noting that they had shielded their mother from the full details due to her fragile state. “But after hearing everything yesterday, she broke down,” she said.
The incident
Jayaraj, a resident of the Sathankulam town, was picked up by the Sathankulam Police on 19 June 2020 around 8 pm, when curfew began under the Coronavirus lockdown.
Soon after, his son Bennix visited the police station, who was later called inside the police station and no one was allowed to meet them after this. The police said Jayaraj and Bennix had died at the Kovilpatti Government Hospital, about 100 kilometres from Sathankulam.
The CBI’s forensic report showed that both were tortured for about seven hours on the night of 20 June, according to the inquiry report, a copy of which is with ThePrint.
Autopsy reports revealed that Jayaraj had sustained at least 17 injuries and Bennix 13 injuries, resulting in them suffering severe blood losses.
DNA samples collected from the lock-up walls, toilet, and lathis at the Sathankulam police station matched those of the victims. The inquiry report further said the two men were forced to clean up their own blood with their clothes and made to change multiple times as the garments became soaked in blood.
The CBI found that 11 sticks in total had been used to assault the victims, including two lathis and a plastic pipe.
According to the inquiry report, friends who saw Bennix and Jayaraj shortly after described them as being covered in blood, in extreme pain, and unable to even sit properly. Despite their critical condition, they were allegedly pushed through legal procedures without being able to speak freely before a magistrate, reportedly due to police intimidation.
The CBI in its inquiry report said that medical attention was delayed and inadequate, and within days, both men died—Bennix on 22 June 2020, and Jayaraj the following day—due to severe internal injuries.
The case exposed police brutality through post-mortem reports, witness statements, and trial evidence indicating the victims were subjected to prolonged physical abuse, with torture corroborated by medical findings and DNA matches on lathis.
The incident drew widespread attention across Tamil Nadu. Public pressure led to the transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
‘Deaths not due to Covid’
Jaba Singh, the counsel representing the father-son duo, said they had faced resistance from the police from the very beginning, noting that even registering a murder case under Section 302 took significant time and sustained protests.
“The court has highlighted crucial evidence, including DNA matches between the bloodstains on the lathis and the victims. The judge has also directed the Central and state governments, along with a probation officer and a psychiatrist, to submit reports regarding the convicts,” he said.
The post-mortem report revealed that the deaths were not due to COVID-19 infection but the result of severe physical abuse. The medical findings also indicated that the victims were assaulted with rod-like objects, their hands tied, and their bodies subjected to extreme violence, including being attacked while restrained on a table.
According to evidence produced during the trial, police personnel allegedly made remarks as they assaulted them, including statements suggesting they were using the victims to “practice” their methods of beating.
Low conviction rate
Tamil Nadu police records show 24 custodial deaths in the state since 2021. It also shows zero convictions in custodial death cases between 2017 and 2022.
Speaking to ThePrint, Human rights activist Evidence K. Kathir, described the verdict as significant, though delayed, noting that such convictions in custodial death cases remain rare.
“While this is a belated judgment, it is a welcome one,” he said, adding that stronger legal action—such as consistently invoking murder charges in such cases—is necessary to ensure accountability.
Kathir also said the conviction in this case was possible largely due to the presence of multiple witnesses, and added that any appeal against the judgment must be met with firm opposition.
Several cases of custodial violence in Tamil Nadu after the Sathankulam incident drew political and social attention.
In 2021, A. Murugesan, a fruit stall owner from Salem’s Edayapatti, died following alleged torture. In 2022, Vignesh, a 25-year-old Dalit balloon seller from Chennai, died after torture, with the autopsy showing 13 injuries including a leg fracture.
Four custodial deaths occurred in Madurai, Viluppuram, Chennai and Virudhunagar districts within 12 days in April 2024. In June 2025, B. Ajith Kumar, a 27-year-old temple guard, died after interrogation in a theft case at Sivaganga police station, with the autopsy revealing 44 injury marks, five policemen were arrested and the case was transferred to the CBI by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
The most recent case is of the death of 26-year-old Akash Delison from Sivagangai in March 2026, who died after allegedly being subjected to custodial violence.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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