MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently denied bail to four police personnel, since retired, who were convicted last year in a custodial death case in Thoothukudi in 1999.
A bench of justices AD Jagadish Chandira and R Poornima passed the order on the petitions filed by Subbiah, S Ramakrishnan, Jeyasekaran and Veerabahu = to suspend the life sentence imposed on them on April 5, 2025, for brutally assaulting C Vincent of West Alangarathattu in 1999, resulting in his death.
While their appeal against the order is pending, the petitioners moved the court seeking suspension of sentence and release on bail.
Ramakrishnan’s counsel said that his name was not found in the RDO’s report or the complaint. The fact that he was implicated belatedly after several years has caused grave prejudice to him in defending his case, he claimed. The entire trial is vitiated on account of the procedural violations and non-conduct of independent police investigation, which is mandated under Section 176 of CrPC, he further said.
Stating that he has to undergo a cardiac surgery, he sought bail. The other petitioners too denied their involvement and claimed their presence at the station at the time of occurrence has not been proved properly.
However, the judges observed that there is no procedural infirmity in the trial. The evidence of the eye witnesses are also consistent with regard to the presence of the petitioners at the police station at the time of occurrence. Further noting the serious nature of the offences, they dismissed the petitions.
According to the prosecution, Vincent was taken into custody by the Thalamuthunagar police on September 17, 1999 on charges that he sold country bombs to some persons. Though he was let off the next evening, he complained of chest pain. He was rushed to a private hospital and later to the Thoothukudi GH, where he died around 6.30 pm. Since the doctors noticed 38 external injuries on his body, they kept his body in the mortuary.
After hearing about the incident from Vincent’s wife through a telegram, the revenue divisional officer rushed to the mortuary, recorded the statement of witnesses and submitted a preliminary report to the collector, who later recommended initiation of criminal prosecution and departmental action against the accused.
Based on a petition filed by Vincent’s wife, Ramakrishnan was added as an accused in the case in 2008 but the trial commenced only last year. After an elaborate trial, the trial court convicted the petitioners and five others and acquitted two more persons.