SPP: Will recommend filing of an appeal
Jayendra Saraswathi, accompanied by a number of advocates, his disciples and mutt officials reached the court hall at 2 pm.
Chennai: The judge also ordered for a separate trial in connection with a case against Ravi Subramaniam, an approver who turned hostile.
The reprieve comes to Kanchi mutt head three years after the accused, including the Sankara mutt pontiffs Jayendra Saraswathi and Vijayendra, were acquitted from the sensational case of murder in 2004 of Sankararaman, a temple official who was a staunch critic of the head and its head.
Jayendra Saraswathi, accompanied by a number of advocates, his disciples and mutt officials reached the court hall at 2 pm. Soon after he sat in a chair, a few police personnel and advocates obtained the blessings of the pontiff and took ‘vibuthi’ from him before the advent of the judge.
Along with Jayendra Saraswathi, eight other accused — N. Sundaresa Iyer, K. Raghu, V. Sunder alias Meenakshi Sundaram, B. Anand alias Anandakumar, S. Lakshmanan, G. Boomi alias Bhoominathan, R. Kannan and K. Kumar alias China Kumar — also appeared before the court. Ravi Subramaniam, an approver, who turned hostile, also appeared.
According to Special Public Prosecutor, N. Vijayraj, due to differences of opinion with mutt officials, Radhakrishnan, who was looking after the accounts of the mutt, left his job. During early 2002, a large number of letters were released in the name of ‘So-masekhara Ganapadigal’ highlighting alleged irregularities in the Kanchi Sankara mutt.
The mutt head suspected Radhakrishnan’s hand in the letters. Angered by the action, Jayendra Saraswathi “sought to end the menace and decided to teach him a lesson”. He allegedly informed Appu and Kathiravan about this. Based on their instructions, a gang attacked Radhakrishnan, his wife Jayasree and his aide Krishnan at their residence in Mandaveli on Se-ptember 20, 2002.
Though the assault took place in 2002, the Foreshore Estate police registered cases against the 11 persons under sections 452, 324, 307 of I.P.C, and commenced the investigation only after the murder of Sankararaman, a staunch critic of Sankara Mutt in 2004, in the famous Varadharahaperumal temple in Kancheepuram. During the investigation of the murder, a few persons surrendered before the court claiming responsibility for assaulting Radhakrishnanan.
The Kanchi mutt head and others were acquitted in the Sankaraman murder case by a Puducherry court in November 2013. Special public prosecutor, N Vijayraj said, “It is a fit case for appeal”. The judge has not considered a lot of incriminating evidences against the accused. I will recommend that the government file an appeal.”