MADURAI: The Vth Additional District and Sessions Court judge K Dhamodharan on Thursday framed murder charges and sent four more accused, including former Manamadurai DSP N Shanmugasundaram, to judicial remand till September 16 in the custodial death case of Madapuram temple guard Ajithkumar.
Soon after the order, the DSP, and former Thirupuvanam inspector SP Rameshkumar, special sub-inspector S Sivakumar, and head constable G Ilayaraja, who were present in the court, were taken to the Madurai Central Prison by police on Thursday.
According to prosecution, Shanmugasundaram was placed under suspension in the aftermath of Ajithkumar’s death, while the others have been transferred.
In his order, the judge said the DSP had illegally constituted an SIT comprising six police personnel S Raja, A Anand, S Sankaramanikandan, G Prabhu, G Kannan and P Ramachandran, (all constables) to probe the alleged theft complaint lodged by college professor J Nikitha in June 2025.
They took Ajithkumar into illegal custody, facilitated by SP Rameshkumar, S Sivakumar, and G Ilayaraja. Thus, all the accused subjected him to assault and torture, thereby causing his death, the order said.
Further, the judge said based on a false complaint given by constable Kannan, inspector Rameshkumar registered a FIR with intention to conceal the murder.
Subsequently, constables Sivakumar and Ilayaraja manipulated the general diary entries of the police station. The accused also destroyed their phones to prevent evidence. The DSP with help of local politicians tried to strike a compromise with Ajithkumar’s parents after his death, the judge said in the order.
Pointing out that the four were not ordinary people but policemen , and there is a possibility of them influencing witnesses the court ordered remand.