MADURAI: After the State government submitted a status report stating that the Police Wellbeing Programme is in progress, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday closed proceedings initiated by the court over the alleged custodial death of trader P Jeyaraj and his son Beniks at Sathankulam police station in Thoothukudi in June 2020.
Citing that the trial was underway, a Bench comprising Justices PN Prakash and R Hemalatha had recently closed all the impleading petitions filed in connection with the incident. However, the judges kept the suo motu petition pending by directing the State government to file a report on the status of the Police Wellbeing Programme which is being conducted by the government to provide psychological counselling to police personnel across the State. The court had sought the report after a counsel appearing for one of the petitioners alleged in the previous hearing last month that the programme had gone into cold storage.
But the judges closed the petition on Wednesday after the State government submitted a status report informing that the training programme is ongoing and that the government is planning to renew the Memorandum of Understanding signed by it with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru for the programme for one more year.
The MoU had been signed in September 2018 for three years and was renewed till September 2022 and it will be renewed again for one more year to complete the training, the report said. So far, an expenditure of over Rs 6.79 crore has been incurred for the programme, it added. The Home Secretary and Director General of Police were also present during the hearing through video conferencing, sources said.
Meanwhile, the judges adjourned the suo motu contempt petition filed against three policemen for preventing a Kovilpatti Judicial Magistrate from conducting an inq0uiry at Sathankulam police station.
MoU to be renewed
State submitted a status report informing that the training programme is ongoing and it is planning to renew the MoU signed with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru