Will seek permission from Court to transfer Tuticorin custodial death case to CBI: Palaniswami

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said that the state government will seek permission from the court to transfer the Tuticorin custodial death case to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the next hearing.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palswami said that the state government will seek permission from the court to transfer the Tuticorin custodial death case to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the next hearing.

"We will seek permission from the Madurai bench of Madras High Court to transfer the Tuticorin custodial death case to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the next hearing on June 30," Palswami said.

On the instructions of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High court, the judicial magistrates of Kovilpatti and Tuticorin on Saturday conducted an inquiry at the Kovilpatti sub-jail in connection with the alleged custodial deaths of a father and son.

The Madurai bench of Madras High court, which suo moto heard the case on Friday (June 26) ordered the magistrates to collect photographic records of entries and the CCTV footage of the dates that the father-son duo were at the sub-jail.

P Jayaraj (59) and his son J Benicks (31), were arrested on June 19 and lodged in Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping their mobile phone shop in the Sathankulam main bazaar area open during a curfew imposed during coronavirus lockdown.

Jayaraju and Benicks were admitted to the Kovilpatti government hospital on June 22. While the son died on the same night, the father breathed his last on June 23 morning.

According to reports, two senior Inspectors have been suspended while departmental action is also being taken against two chief guards of the jail.

The death of the duo had sparked protests across parts of Tamil Nadu with many people taking to the streets to demand justice and the incident triggering outrage on social media.

( With inputs from ANI )