MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court extended by five months the deadline fixed for the trial court in Madurai to complete the trial in Sathankulam custodial death case. Though the HC in March this year had directed the trial court to finish the trial proceedings in six months, Justice K Murali Shankar granted the additional time on Friday, after considering a report submitted by the trial judge seeking an extension.
Justice Shankar noted from the report that out of 105 total witnesses cited by the prosecution, only 20 were examined so far. At least one full working day is required to examine and cross-examine each witness. The report also mentions that some mobile phones connected with the case have been sent to the Directorate of Forensic Science in Gujarat for analysis and the results are yet to be received. Accepting the said reasons, Justice Shankar granted an additional time of five months and adjourned the matter. The above orders were passed pursuant to a petition filed by J Selvarani- wife of the P Jeyaraj and mother of J Beniks, the deceased traders- early this year to speed up the trial in the case.
Trial proceedings
Adding more strength to the prosecution’s case, another policeman from Sathankulam station confirmed before the trial court that the two traders were tortured, and the evidence relating to the incident were tampered with by the accused policemen. Speaking to TNIE, an advocate appearing for the victims’ family said, “In his statement before the I Additional District Judge V Padmanabhan on Thursday, one of the witnesses, a Special SI of the police station, stated that the traders were brutally tortured and after their death, the evidence was tampered with and the false FIR was registered.”
While five of the accused policemen -- Muthuraj, Veilmuthu, Thomas Francis, Balakrishnan, Samadurai -- cross-examined him through their counsels, the remaining examination, including that of the main accused Inspector Sridhar, is expected to take place on Dec 21, he added. “Previously, only a woman head constable was known to be the key eye-witness in the case. However, the Special SI’s statement has added more strength to our case now,” the advocate opined.