The writ petitioner is the wife of Lingam @ Muthulingam. According to the petitioner, her husband was implicated as an accused in Nesamony Nagar Police Station in Crime No.27/94 for an alleged offence under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code in respect of an occurrence stated to have happened on 07.04.1994. Along with him, there were other accused and the petitioner’s husband was arrested and remanded to judicial custody during 1996 pending investigation. He was confined in the Sub Jail, Nagercoil as trial prisoner in Cell No.8. The application for bail filed for the petitioner’s husband was dismissed and therefore, he was in the Sub Jail, Nagercoil pending investigation.

2. According to the petitioner the respondents 1 to 3 are the persons responsible in having overall control over the Sub Jail. On 09.04.1996, at about 3.10 am the husband of the petitioner, who was detained in the Cell, was murdered in the Sub Jail, Nagercoil and the crime was registered in Nesamony Nagar Police Station in Crime No.74/96 under Sections 147, 148, 448, 342, 332, 324, 307, 302 I.P.C. and Sec.25(1) of the Indian Arms Act on the complaint of the Wardon Grade II Thiru.Paul Ponnambalam of Sub J