In a landmark ruling, the Madurai District and Sessions Court on Thursday handed down 11-year prison sentences to four police officers responsible for the death of 17-year-old Muthu Karthik in police custody in 2019. The convicted include Inspector Alex Raj and constables Satheesh, Ravi, and Ravichandran.

Karthik, a resident of Madurai, was taken to the SS Colony Police Station for questioning related to a criminal case. During interrogation, he was subjected to severe physical abuse by the police. Though he was admitted to a hospital afterward, he died from the injuries sustained.

The victim’s mother, Jaya, sought justice through the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which transferred the investigation to the Crime Branch Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID). Following their inquiry, charges were filed against the four policemen. After an extended legal process, Judge Joseph Joy delivered the conviction.

The court has ordered the CB-CID to file new charges against Inspector Premachandran, Sub-Inspector Kannan, and Inspector Arunachalam for allegedly trying to destroy evidence. While Premachandran and Kannan have retired, Inspector Arunachalam, who remains on duty, has been suspended.

Government medical officials also faced severe criticism for allegedly tampering with evidence. Departmental action was mandated against Dr. Jeyakumar, who conducted the post-mortem, and Dr. Srilatha, the hospital’s Resident Medical Officer, for concealing injury details.

Henri Tiphagne, Executive Director of People’s Watch, an NGO monitoring the case, commented, “Cops being convicted for wrong investigation has never happened. The court has also ordered a special investigation against them by an SP-level officer. The Inspector was so powerful that he and others were neither arrested nor suspended.”

This case brings into focus the broader issue of custodial deaths in Tamil Nadu, with recent similar cases also revealing patterns of police brutality and cover-ups. People’s Watch has applauded the verdict and demanded a government job for Karthik’s brother as compensation.