Jayaraj-Bennix case: Bail plea of accused cops rejected; trial to begin on November 11

The court rejected the bail plea of cops who had been arrested in connection with the Jayaraj-Bennix father-son duo custodial deaths case.

The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court rejected the bail plea of Raghu Ganesh and Murugan, the police personnel of the Sathankulam Police station, who had been arrested along with eight other cops in connection with the Jayaraj-Bennix father-son duo custodial deaths case in June. 

The accused sought bail on the grounds that they had been in custody for 130 days and that the court-ordered CB-CID investigation was over and that the evidence was collected by the concerned officials. Their bail plea had also mentioned that they would abide by the bail conditions and would not abscond on being let off on bail. 

CBI’s counsel had stated that the duo of Raghu Ganesh and Murugan were the main accused in the case and were responsible for the brutal, inhuman custodial torture meted out to the father and son, who were in custody. It was also added that releasing the main accused would affect the case and its outcome. The Court was also informed that the trial in this case would begin on November 11th in the Madurai district Court. 

Besides rejecting the bail plea of the duo, the Court raised questions over whether FIRs were being registered in Police stations, pointing out that it did not seem that way, as many aggrieved people were approaching the Court to have an FIR filed. 

In suo-motu hearings of the custodial deaths case, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has passed several orders to speed up the delivery of justice. In line with these orders and the ensuing investigation, totally 10 police personnel from the Sathankulam police station had been arrested and remanded in the Madurai Central jail. One of them had died after succumbing to Covid-19 and other health complications.

The major breakthrough in this case was thanks to a woman constable of the Sathankulam Police Station who, despite facing intimidation from her male colleagues(as per the magistrate’s report), informed the Judicial Magistrate regarding the torture that took place in the station and the evidence connecting the same.