Bail plea of Sattankulam case accused dismissed

Madurai

Referring to a recent Supreme Court order where bail was denied to an accused in an honour killing case with the observation that ‘Bail is the rule, and jail an exception’ cannot apply in such cases, the Madurai Principal Sessions Judge extended the same logic while dismissing the bail plea of an accused policeman in the Sattankulam custodial deaths case.

Principal Sessions Judge G. Ilangovan observed that in the present case the police wanted to assert their power. In honour killing cases it is the assertion of communal supremacy. In both the cases one wants to have complete control, which was not permissible in a civilised society, the judge said and dismissed the bail plea of accused policeman S. Chelladurai.

"This court can simply reject the bail application on the ground that if the accused are released on bail and allowed to roam freely in society, there is every likelihood of them using the power once enjoyed by them in office to subvert the trial proceedings." Simply because the petitioner was a low-rung police officer, he could not be released on bail on that ground, the judge said.

When it came to the assertion of supremacy, it knows no rung. The petitioner has to face the trial in custody and deserves no consideration for bail, the judge said. The petitioner, suspended police constable S. Chelladurai, claimed that he was falsely implicated in the custodial deaths case of trader P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks. He was not on duty at the time of the incident, he said.

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