High court announces the death penalty to nine Tamil Nadu police officers in Jayaraj and Bennix Custodial Murders case. The court decision represents a rare moment of accountability in India’s long fight against police torture.
Court announce death order to 9 Tamil Nadu police officers
The verdict shows the brutality of crime that shock the people. This death penalty not only about justice, it diverts attention from deep reforms that required immediately to ensure police accountability. Responding to a human rights violation with another does not stop violence; it only continues the cycle.
Background of case
Along with death sentences, the court ordered the police officers to jointly pay ₹1.40 crore (USD 150,500) in compensation to the families of the deceased.
Jayaraj and his son Bennix died days after taken into custody by the Sathankulam police in Tamil Nadu state in June 2020. They allegedly arrested for violating COVID-19 restrictions. In custody, they suffered from torture, including sexual violence. Their deaths revealed systemic failures: routine torture, weak oversight, and a culture of impunity that continues despite existing legal protections.
According to data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), between 1999 and 2023, over 2,200 people died in police custody in India. However, convictions are extremely rare, with no convictions in custodial death cases recorded between 2018 and 2023.
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