Sankararman murder case posted to July 12 for framing of charges

CHENGALPATTU, June 16 (UNI) The Chengalpattu Sessions Court today adjourned to July 12 the framing of charges in the sensationalSankararaman murder case in which both the Kanchi Acharyas werecited as the accused.

When the hearing in the case resumed at the Sessions court here after the summer vacation, Senior Acharya Jayendra Saraswati and his Junior Vijayendra Saraswati and 20 others were present in the court.

Junior seer's brother Raghu and former Kanchi Mutt Manager N Sundaresa Iyer could not appear before the court as they were on conditional bail and were staying at Coimbatore and Villuppuram respectiely.

When the prosecution objected to their absence and demanded issuance of a warrant for their production, the defence counsel filed a petition under Sec 317 of CrPC seeking to dispense with their personal appearance for the day.

After taking it on file and recording the presence of the other accused, Sessions Judge G M Akbar Ali posted the case to July 12 for framing of charges and directed all the accused to be present on that day.

In all 24 people were cited as accused in the case.

While both the Acharyas and four others, who were granted bail appeared before the court, 16 other accused under judicial custody, including Appu, were produced before the court from various prisons amid tight security.

Appu had allegedly acted as the head of the hirelings who eliminated Varadharaja Perumal temple Manager Sankararaman on September three last year.

Both the Senior and Junior seers arrived from Kalavai, where they have been staying together, in separate vans at 1120 hrs.

After they entered the court hall, the Judge offered them a seat while the other accused remained standing.

Both the Acharyas later left for Kalavai around 1145 hrs.

The high-profile case was committed to the Sessions Court by the Kancheepuram Judicial Magistrate Court-I on April 13 last.

The Kancheepuram JM court had committed the case to Sessions after examination-in-chief and cross-examination of Ravi Subramaniam by the defence in the case.

Jayendrar, who was arrested at Mahaboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh on November 11 last, was granted bail on January 10 and came out of Vellore Prison the next day, a few hours before the Junior Seer was arrested from the Kanchi Mutt in the case.

The Junior Seer was also granted bail a month later.

After his bail conditions were relaxed, the Junior joined the Senior Acharya at Kalavai near Kancheepuram in mid April.

Since then they had been staying together there.

The chargesheet in the case was filed on January 21 and copies were served to the accused on March 31.

In the chargesheet, all the 24 accused have been charged with offences under IPC Sec 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 102(b) read with 302 (murder), 449 (criminal trespass), 201 (suppressing of evidence), 109 (abetment) and 34 (acting with common intention).

Sixteen of the accused, including Sundaresa Iyer and Raghu, were detained under the Goondas Act.

Subsequently, the detention of Raghu and Iyer under the Act was quashed by the High Court.

About us | Advertise | Other Publications | Subscriptions | Weather | Letters | Send Mail Disclaimer: Information is being made available at this site purely as a measure of public facilitation.

While every effort has been made to ensure that the information hosted on this website is accurate CHAIRMAN: VED BHASIN Kashmir Times Group of Publications Edited, printed and published by Prabodh Jamwal Editor-in-Chief, The Kashmir Times, Residency Road, Jammu, J&K, INDIA.

Executive Editor: Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal E-Mail: vbhasin@sancharnet.in, jmt_prabodh@sancharnet.in