Sathankulam custodial deaths: Madras high court directs CBI to submit status report

MADURAI: Orally observing that CBI’s investigation into the custodial deaths of P Jeyaraj and his son J Benicks was proceeding in the right lines, the Madras high court on Monday directed the CBI to file a status report in a sealed cover.
The court was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation that was initiated following the custodial deaths of the father-son duo at Sathankulam in Tuticorin district.
Pursuant to the earlier direction of this court, the CBI submitted a status report in a sealed cover with regard to the progress of investigation.
A division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and P Rajamanickam said that a perusal of the status report would disclose that the CBI which had taken over the investigation examined many witnesses and collected evidence in the case.
The judges said that the status report would also disclose if the CBI would require time for the scientific analysis of the evidence.
The judges noted that a majority of CBI team members was affected with Covid-19 and now they have resumed investigation.
After the additional advocate general (AAG) K Chellapandian informed the court that the case pertaining to the custodial torture of S Raja Singh by Sathankulam policemen was transferred to CB-CID, the judges directed CB-CID officials to submit a status report in a sealed cover with regard to the progress of investigation.