The Hindu : National : Stage set for filing chargesheet in Sankararaman case

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Tuesday, Jan 18, 2005

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National

Stage set for filing chargesheet in Sankararaman case

By K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI, JAN. 17 . A week after the arrest of the junior Sankaracharya of the Kanchi mutt, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi, the police say that the stage is set for the filing of the chargesheet in the case relating to the murder of Sankararaman, manager of Sri Varadarajaperumal Temple, in Kancheepuram in September last year.

All the wanted persons have been arrested and the chargesheet is expected to be filed in Kancheepuram court on January 21, according to police sources. After furnishing copies of the chargesheet to the accused, the case would be committed to the Sessions court for trial, the sources told The Hindu .

Six persons arrested in the case have been detained under the Goondas Act. A few more detentions under the Act are likely.

Those named among the 25 accused include the two Acharyas of the Kanchi Mutt. The case has been registered under Sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 201(causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender) IPC.

Charge against Vijayendra

The sources said the charge against the junior Acharya was that he was also part of the conspiracy. Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi was arrested based on the statements made by Ravi Subramanian, who has also been arrested.

One of the key accused is expected to turn approver.

It remains to be seen how the Kanchi Acharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, and his junior are to be charged in the sensational murder case. About 350 witnesses have been examined so far.

The sources say that proving conspiracy is the main challenge for the police. The special team probing the murder has obtained evidence with regard to telephone conversations in the form of a record of calls made from cellular phones.

It says that there is circumstantial evidence to prove the conspiracy hatched by the accused to eliminate the temple manager.

As direct evidence with regard to conspiracy cannot be obtained in all cases, the prosecution is depending on circumstantial evidence.

The prosecution is armed with evidence in the form of material objects and the statements of accused and witnesses to buttress its charge against the accused.

Sankararaman was murdered on September 3, 2004 in the temple. Initially, 20 persons were apprehended. Later, Appu, Ravi Subramanian, Sundaresan, Kanchi Sankara Mutt manager, Raghu and his elder brother, the junior Acharya, were arrested.

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