IN A rare conviction in a custodial torture case, a special CBI court in Mumbai Tuesday sentenced two Mumbai policemen to seven years in jail for injuries caused to a 22-year-old man, who died in a police station in 2009.

Noting that custodial violence is the “worst type of human right violation”, the court observed that the policemen had committed the serious crime of custodial torture.

The court, however, found that Altaf Shaikh’s death in custody was a natural death due to respiratory failure, lung pneumonia combined with the effect of alcohol and an addictive drug consumed by him and hence it cannot be said to be murder.

Sub-inspector Sanjay Khedekar ,55, and retired head constable Raghunath Kolekar, 62, were found guilty on charges including voluntarily causing hurt; causing hurt

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