Reddy & Reddy Law Firm

Six years after Jayaraj and Bennix died in police custody, a Madurai court has awarded the death penalty to nine police officers.

In June 2020, the father-son duo was detained at the Sathankulam Police Station for allegedly keeping their mobile shop open past permitted hours during the COVID-19 lockdown. Both died within days due to injuries sustained in custody.

The Madras High Court took suo motu notice of the incident. The CBI was given charge of the investigation. The chargesheet named ten officers; one died during the trial.

On March 23, 2026, the First Additional District and Sessions Court, Madurai, convicted all nine surviving accused of murder and destruction of evidence.

On April 6, 2026, Judge G. Muthukumaran sentenced all nine to death, describing it as a rarest of rare case. The officers were also directed to pay Rs. 1.40 crore in compensation to the victims' families.

Case Title: CBI v. Sridhar and 9 Others.
Case Number: SC 470 of 2020

International Labour Day marks the continuing effort to secure workers' rights through law.

India's labour framework rests on statutes like the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, which sets wage floors across industries, and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, which governs the resolution of workplace conflicts.

The Code on Wages, 2019, brings greater uniformity to wage laws across sectors.

As gig and platform work grows, new questions around employment and protection are emerging.

These are questions that both legislatures and courts are beginning to address. Its purpose is simple: 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱.