What Did the Madras HC Order Regarding the Custodial Death Investigation?

Chennai, July 8 (NationPress) The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has instructed the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appoint an Investigating Officer within a week to investigate the custodial death of B. Ajith Kumar, a temple security guard hailing from Sivaganga district.

The court mandated the completion of the investigation and submission of the final report to the jurisdictional court by August 20.

A Division Bench, which includes Justices S.M. Subramaniam and A.D. Maria Clete, issued this directive while addressing a series of public interest litigation (PIL) petitions related to the case.

The bench instructed the Investigating Officer to retrieve crucial documents such as the report from the District Judge who conducted a judicial inquiry, as well as the post-mortem report and the findings from the Jurisdictional Judicial Magistrate.

The court underscored the necessity for full cooperation from local law enforcement, directing the Inspector General of Police (South Zone) along with the Superintendents of Police of Madurai and Sivaganga to provide all required support to the CBI team.

The Tamil Nadu government was also instructed to ensure witness protection under the Witness Protection Scheme. The judges acknowledged a detailed inquiry report submitted by S. John Sunderlal Suresh, the Fourth Additional District Judge of Madurai.

During proceedings, the State revealed that a government order had been issued to transfer the investigation to the CBI, indicating that the theft of temple jewelry—raised as a parallel allegation by a woman complainant—would also be examined by the agency. A separate government order for this is forthcoming. The rationale for handing over the case to the CBI was based on the principle that “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.”

The state highlighted that video recordings of court proceedings related to the case were being circulated on social media, which constitutes a violation of the Madras High Court Video Conference Rules. The court stated that it would address this matter separately.

Notably, the government has provided a free house patta and a job at Aavin in Karaikudi to Naveen Kumar, the deceased’s brother, while the bench urged the state to clarify its position regarding interim compensation.

This custodial death has sparked public outrage, resulting in the suspension of six police personnel. Five members of a special police team were arrested and are currently in judicial custody.

The Deputy Superintendent of Police in Manamadurai has been suspended, and the Superintendent of Police in Sivaganga has been transferred.