HC directs court to expedite trial in custodialdeath case

Madurai: Madras high court has directed the VI additional districtand sessions court in Madurai to expedite trial in theAvaniyapuram custodial death case reported in Madurai district in2019.
A youth, Balamurugan, was arrested by the police as he was oneof the accused in the abduction of R Parthiban for a ransom of 20lakh. Balamurugan sustained injuries in custody at Avaniyapurampolice station, and succumbed at Govt Rajaji Hospital in 2019.Initially, police registered the case, and subsequently, it wastransferred to CB-CID. The CB-CID registered a case against sevenpolice personnel.
Balamurugan's father Muthukaruppan filed a petition in 2019 before the HC seeking a CBI probe. Subsequently,Muthukaruppan withdrew his petition by changing the counsel.
Henri Tiphagne, the counsel who earlier appeared for Muthukaruppan, in a letter to the court in 2019, indicatedthat the police officers were coercing the parents of the deceased not to depose against them. He also allegedthat the petition was withdrawn by Muthukaruppan because of threats from local police. He submitted severalaudio recordings in a sealed cover to the court. Since Muthukaruppan withdrew the petition, the court initiatedsuo motu proceedings in this case.

When it was taken up for hearing on March 4, the govt pleader submitted that the chargesheet was filed and itwas taken on file of the VI additional district and sessions court in Madurai. The case was posted to April 9 forframing charges.
A division bench of justice J Nisha Banu and justice S Srimathy observed that in view of the submissions, nofurther orders were required to be passed in this suo motu petition. Hence, the judges disposed of the petition bygiving the direction to the trial court.