The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and J. Selvarani, whose husband P. Jayaraj and son J. Benicks died of custodial torture at the Sattankulam police station in 2020, have objected to the application filed by suspended Inspector S. Sridhar, the main accused, before the trial court seeking to turn approver in the case.

They filed their counter affidavits before the trial court, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai. The CBI, in their counter affidavit submitted that the investigation revealed Sridhar was the main conspirator and the prime accused in the case.

Jayaraj and Benicks were brutally tortured at the behest of Sridhar who was the Station House Officer of the Sattankulam Police Station. He repeatedly instigated/abetted the other accused police personnel to brutalise Jayaraj and Benicks. As a result, Jayaraj and Benicks sustained multiple injuries and subsequently died of complications of blunt injuries. The evidence adduced by the prosecution clearly proved the case against Sridhar and the other accused police personnel, the CBI submitted and sought Sridhar’s application be dismissed. The CBI said no leniency should be shown to Sridhar in the case.

Selvarani submitted there were several eye witnesses in the case, including police personnel, and there was no necessity for Sridhar to turn approver in the case and depose as witness. The application was filed by Sridhar with an intention to delay the trial proceedings, she said and sought the dismissal of the application.

Sridhar, recently filed an application before the trial court, the First Additional District and Sessions Court in Madurai stating that he was willing to turn approver, depose as witness and disclose the truth in the case. He said he wanted to make full disclosure about the incident and sought to be pardoned. The trail court has posted the matter to July 28.

In June, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had dismissed the bail petition filed by Sridhar. The court had observed that the alleged charges against Sridhar were serious in nature. Moreover, the case was admittedly almost at the end of the trial, the court had observed. Sridhar had sought bail for preparing the arguments.