Woman seeks action against policemen in custodial death case

She cites case of deaths of trader, son in Sattankulam

The mother of a 17-year-old boy who died following custodial torture by S.S. Colony police in Madurai filed a petition before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday, seeking a direction to the State to initiate departmental disciplinary action against the police personnel involved in the incident.

Justice S.M. Subramaniam directed the State to file a counter affidavit to the petition filed by M. Jeya of Kochadai, who said Inspector Alexraj, Special Sub-Inspector Ravichandran, Head Constable Ravichandran and Constable Satheeshkumar were named by the CB-CID in its final report.

The petitioner said she had sent several representations to the State government seeking appropriate action against the four police personnel and their suspension. When a criminal case was registered against government officials, the department would initiate disciplinary action, the petitioner said.

However, in this case, no action was taken against the erring police personnel. It was necessary to suspend them for conducting a fair trial, she said. Pointing to the Sattankulam case, she said the accused police personnel in the custodial death case of trader P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks were suspended. 

She said the State should initiate departmental disciplinary action against the police personnel named in the CB-CID’s final report. Earlier, the High Court had taken a serious view of several lapses in the probe into the custodial torture and subsequent death of the boy on the part of the police and transferred the investigation to the CB-CID. It had said it would monitor the case.

The petitioner said her son was picked up by the police for an inquiry in a case of jewellery theft. She said her son was tortured at the police station and he sustained grievous injuries. Later, he succumbed to the injuries at Government Rajaji Hospital, she said.