The court also remanded then Manamadurai deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and three other police personnel in judicial custody.
Madurai : The fifth additional district court on Thursday framed charges for various offences, including murder, against the 10 accused police personnel in the case pertaining to the custodial death of Madapuram temple security guard B Ajith Kumar in Thiruppuvanam in Sivaganga district. Kumar, who was working at Batharakaliamman temple, Madapuram, died during custodial interrogation on June 28, 2025. The fifth additional sessions judge K Dhamodharan framed charges against 10 accused police personnel, including charges under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Considering the gravity of the offence, the court also remanded then Manamadurai deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and three other police personnel in judicial custody. He was picked up by the police for interrogation in a case pertaining to the alleged gold jewellery theft from a car owned by Nikitha of Madurai district when she and her mother visited the temple the previous day. The state had transferred the custodial death and jewel theft cases to CBI. The agency arrested six policemen – Prabhu, Kannan, Sankaramanikandan, Raja, Ananth and Ramachandran. Subsequently, CBI filed a supplementary chargesheet naming four more police personnel – then Manamadurai DSP Shanmugasundaram, then Thiruppuvanam inspector of police Ramesh Kumar, then sub-inspector Sivakumar and then head constable Ilayaraja, as accused in the case. The judge observed that in view of the nature and gravity of the offences for which charges had been framed as above, the court considered it necessary to hear the counsel appearing for four accused personnel (included in the supplementary charge sheet) as to whether they could be remanded in judicial custody in the absence of any bail application being filed on their behalf. The public prosecutor for CBI submitted that witness protection extended to the witnesses, particularly Naveen Kumar, the brother of the deceased, who is a key eyewitness and an injured witness, was withdrawn by the present inspector of Thiruppuvanam police station, Sethumani Madhavan. The possibilities of influencing witnesses and interfering with the fair conduct of the trial are relevant circumstances which require the accused to be placed in judicial custody. Unless the four accused are taken into custody, a fair trial cannot be ensured. The judge observed that as per the prosecution case, the four accused police personnel had already attempted to create false entries in the public records with a view to concealing the commission of the crime. The alleged conduct of the accused and the position held by them are relevant factors in this present case.