MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Monday directed the Madurai police to file a final report on the alleged custodial death case of an undertrial in 2017, within two months.
Justice GR Swaminathan gave the direction on a petition filed by Nagajothi of Theni, wife of the deceased Karuppasamy, seeking a CB-CID probe into Karuppasamy's death. The judge noted that Karuppasamy was arrested by Rajadhani police in Theni over a case of an attempt to murder on July 20, 2017, and was remanded in judicial custody in Madurai Central Prison. But, he died in the prison three days later, the judge added.
Since Nagajothi alleged that Karuppasamy's death was unnatural and that it was on account of the torture meted out by the police and the prison officials, the Madurai police registered a case. But, despite an order passed by the court in 2018 that a fair and proper investigation must be conducted in the case, no final report has been filed by the police yet, the judge noticed.
He directed the Tallakulam ACP to file the final report, with further directions to the Madurai City Police Commissioner to ensure the same. As Nagajothi belongs to Scheduled Caste, the judge directed the Home Secretary to consider the possibility of awarding compensation to her under the SC/ST Act and disposed of the petition.