The Kerala High Court has reserved its order on a bail petition filed by three policemen arrested in connection with the custodial death of S.R. Sreejith of Varapuzha.
In their bail petition, the policemen who belonged to the disbanded Rural Tiger Force (RTF) — Santhosh Kumar, Jithin Raj and Sumesh M.S. — said they were innocent and had never manhandled Sreejith.
When the petition came up for hearing, the prosecutor vehemently opposed the bail plea and contended that there was evidence to prove the allegation that the policemen had tortured Sreejith.
The policemen pointed out that immediately after the arrest, Sreejith was handed over to the investigation officer and shifted to the Varapuzha police station. None of the documents or certificates issued by the hospitals where Sreejith had been taken to revealed any overt act indulged in by the petitioners. The arrest of the petitioners was not based on any material evidence, they contended.