THOOTHUKUDI: The Thoothukudi Sessions Court on Saturday sentenced nine police personnel, including present Srivaikuntam Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and land grabbing wing inspector, to life imprisonment in a 1999 custodial death case.
The victim C Vincent (36), a salt pan worker of Mela Alangarathattu of Thoothukudi corporation, was detained by then sub inspector Ramakrishnan for an inquiry over alleged possession of country bombs on September 17, 1999. He died of custodial torture the next day.
Following a complaint lodged by the victim's wife V Krishnammal, an RDO inquiry was conducted and a case was registered against 10 police personnel including Somasundaram, Jeyasekaran, Joseph Raj, Pichaiah, Chellathurai, Veerapagu, Sivasubramanian, Subbaiah, Rathnasamy and Balasubramanian.
Krishnammal took the case to the Supreme Court to include then sub inspector Ramakrishnan in the case, and the apex court directed to name him as the first accused in 2007. The CPM provided legal assistance for the victim's family, however, due to the influence of police, the case was not taken up for trials, till a high court order in June 2024, sources said.
Thoothukudi district and additional sessions court judge P Thandavan began the probe marking 38 documentary evidence and cross examined 13 witnesses. Pronouncing the judgment on Saturday, the sessions court judge convicted nine of them and acquitted retired constables Sivasubramanian and Rathnasamy.
The convicts, including Ramakrishnan, who is currently the DSP of Srivaikuntam sub division, Somasundaram, inspector in anti-land grabbing wing, special sub inspector Pichaiah, retired sub-inspector Veerapagu, retired constables Joseph Raj, Chellathurai, Subbaiah, Balasubramanian, were sentenced to life imprisonment and awarded a penalty of Rs 10,000 each, said Public Prosecutor SP Anand Gabriel.
Lauding the judgement, members of the CPM headed by union secretary Sankaran, paid homage and garlanded Vincent's portrait at his house in the presence of Krishnammal and her sons.