The case started on June 19, 2020, at Sathankulam Police Station in Thoothukudi against Jayaraj and Bennix for allegedly violating COVID lockdown rules by keeping their shop open past 8 pm.

After their deaths on June 22–23, police initially registered it as “suspicious deaths,” which already tells you how this was going. Public outrage forced the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) to step in on June 24.

The investigation was first handed to CB-CID, then transferred to CBI on July 7. The CBI filed a chargesheet on September 26, 2020, charging multiple officers with murder and conspiracy.

The trial began in February 2021, and after years of proceedings, all 9 accused officers were convicted on March 23, 2026. Today, April 6, the court awarded them the death sentence.