Six cops arrested in the case linked with custodial death of 25-year-old Vignesh were granted bail by the Madras High Court on August 8. This was after CB-CID (Crime Branch - Criminal Investigation Department) police failed to file the charge sheet against them within 90 days of the arrest. The six arrested policemen were: head constables Kumar and Pavan Raj, writer Munaf, Home Guard Deepak and two Armed Reserve (AR) police personnel, Jegajeevan and Chandrakumar. The Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act had also been invoked against the accused since Vignesh was a Dalit.
Justice S Alli granted bail to all of them as CB-CID failed to file a charge sheet even though they had been arrested 90 days before. Their counsel argued that CB-CID is yet to file the charge sheet against them and asked the judge to grant bail to the police officials who got arrested. Vignesh who used to offer horse rides at Chennai's Marina beach was taken into custody by the G5 Secretariat colony police station, along with his friend Suresh, a construction worker, on April 18. On April 19, Vignesh died and the Chennai police claimed that Vignesh had a seizure and died while he was being rushed to the hospital. However, his family members alleged foul play in his death.
Initially, a police sub-inspector, a constable, and a member of Home Guards were suspended and the case was transferred to CB-CID on April 22, after the family and human rights activists pointed out several contradictions in the inquiry process and the police's claims. On May 7, the (CB-CID) arrested six policemen attached to the G5 Secretariat colony police station. This was the third time the accused appealed for bail in Madras High Court. The first bench of Madras High Court dismissed their bail plea twice, on June 7 and August 2.
The post-mortem report of Vignesh, who died in police custody in Chennai, confirmed that the 25-year-old suffered multiple injuries on his body. The post-mortem report listed several contusions or bruises all over Vignesh’s body, and an abrasion or cut on his gluteal region. The report also said that there was a fracture in his right leg, and that the injuries were caused before his death.