A court in Tamil Nadu has sentenced nine policemen to death over the 2020 custodial deaths of trader P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks in Sathankulam, Thoothukudi district.
The court termed the incident a “rarest of rare” case, citing abuse of authority and brutal assault. The victims were arrested in June 2020 for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open beyond lockdown hours — a claim later found to be false.
Investigations found the father and son were stripped and severely assaulted overnight at the police station. Both died days later after being remanded to judicial custody, triggering nationwide outrage.
The CBI, which took over the probe, filed murder charges against the accused officers. More than 100 witnesses testified during the trial, which lasted over five years. (Newswire)
