Madras High Court orders lower court to finish trial in Sathankulam case within three months

During its Friday holiday session, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court gave the First Additional District and Sessions Court of Madurai the directive to wrap up the trial in the Sathankulam custodial death case in three more months. The order was given by Justice S Srimathy during the hearing of a petition submitted by J Selvarani, Jeyaraj’s widow, who claimed that she had died as a result of abuse while in custody.

Selvarani said that in June 2020, while in the custody of the Sathankulam police station, her husband and son Beniks were both slain. CB-CID conducted the first investigation on the matter before turning it over to the CBI. The agency and police department then filed a joint charge sheet in the matter before the CBI Court in Madurai.

Prior to this, the Madurai Bench had acknowledged the matter and instructed that the trial be speedily conducted within six months. The case was listed and trial procedures were heard before the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai after the submission of the charge sheet before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in that city. The high court did, however, allow the trial court’s request for an extension of time, first for five months and then for an additional four months twice.

Selvarani requested that the high court order the trial court to hold sessions throughout the summer break and finish the trial as soon as possible, citing that the trial has been delayed by the CBI sleuths’ cross-examination and the parliamentary election.