The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Judicial custody for Mutt manager

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 26, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Judicial custody for Mutt manager

By Our Staff Reporter

KANCHEEPURAM, DEC. 25 . The Kancheepuram Judicial Magistrate-I, G. Uthamaraj, today remanded the Kanchi Sankara Mutt manager, Sundaresa Iyer, arrested in the Sankararaman murder case last night, to judicial custody for 15 days till January 7, 2005.

Later, Mr. Iyer was lodged in the Chennai central prison.

Talking to reporters, Y. Thiagarajan, counsel for the Mutt, said Mr. Iyer stoutly denied the police charges. Though the manager had issued a cheque for Rs. 5 lakhs to Ravi Subramaniam, elusive building contractor, the payment was towards a contract entered into with him.

Mr. Iyer also denied the police claim that Rs. 50 lakhs, received by the Mutt in April, was transferred to Ravi Subramaniam's account. The amount was immediately credited to the Mutt's account with Indian Bank, Sankara Mutt branch.

Mr. Thiagarajan claimed that Mr. Iyer told the magistrate that he could not have taken the amount for him or given it to another person.

Counsel meets Appu

The special investigation team, which took Appu, a prime accused in the murder case, to Chennai on Friday to conduct a `search' in certain places in his presence, seized some documents from his residence, according to his advocate, B. Purushothaman.

Talking to reporters here this evening, Mr. Purushothaman, permitted by the court to meet his client everyday between 6 and 7 p.m. at the place of interrogation, said the police searched Appu's residence at CIT Colony, Alwarpet, and seized certain documents, including his revolver licence. He was taken to a travel agency office at Alwarpet, through which he had obtained a passport and visas for his foreign tours. Appu was also taken to the houses of two of his friends before being brought to Kancheepuram at 2.15 a.m. today.

No grievance in prison

At Vellore, the Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, arrested in the Sankararaman murder case and the Radhakrishnan assault case, reported no grievance to the Additional Director-General of Police (Prisons), Bholanath, visited the central prison today.

Mr. Bolanath, who enquired prisoners about the conditions in the prison, also visited the cell where the Sankaracharya has been lodged. The seer reportedly told him that he had no complaint about the facilities provided.

The principal district and sessions judge, Mala, also met the Sankaracharya. He is reported to have expressed satisfaction with the facilities.

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