The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Orders tomorrow on junior Acharya's bail plea

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Orders tomorrow on junior Acharya's bail plea

By A. Subramani

CHENGALPATTU, JAN. 25. Orders on the bail pleas of the junior Kanchi Acharya, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi; his brother Raghu; and the Sankara Mutt manager, Sundaresa Iyer, in the Sankararaman murder case will be delivered by a sessions court here on January 27.

Mr. Akbar Ali, district and sessions judge, Chengalpattu, reserved orders after counsel completed their arguments today.

While counsel submitted that the petitioners were arrested out of "frustration," the public prosecutor, K. Duraisamy, said the prosecution had sufficient materials to corroborate evidence and defence would understand it once it got a copy of the charge sheet.

The Acharya's counsel, D. Lakshmana Reddiyar, said only two out of 39 letters of Sankararaman (slain manager of the Varadaraja Perumal temple at Kancheepuram), recovered by the police, named Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi. The confessional statements of Kathiravan, a key accused, too did not "whisper the name of the junior pontiff." The petitioner had no knowledge of those letters, which were addressed only to the senior Acharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi.

Denying his role in the alleged disbursal of money to the assailants, the junior Acharya said there was no material to show that he was in any way in charge of the Mutt's monetary transactions.

Probe team `frustrated'

While Kathiravan retracted his confessional statements, the Supreme Court made it clear that the prosecution should not rely only on the confessions of a co-accused. Thus a "frustrated" investigation team sought to make Ravi Subramaniam approver, Mr. Reddiyar alleged. He said though Mr. Ravi Subramaniam was the "kingpin" of the whole affair and was charged with disbursing money to the assailants, "he is being pardoned and let off without any punishment."

Assailing the "bald" remand report furnished to the junior Acharya, Mr. Raghu and Mr. Sundaresa Iyer during their arrest, Mr. Reddiyar said it simply mentioned that they were being arrested for conspiracy and for disbursing money to the assailants. "It did not contain even elementary things such as with whom did they hatch the conspiracy; where and when did it take place?" The junior Acharya was arrested the day the Supreme Court ordered the release of the senior Acharya on bail. "Is it a mere coincidence or accident?"

Counsel A. Natarajan said Mr. Raghu was in the Mutt to learn the Vedas. Even assuming that he handed over money to Mr. Ravi Subramaniam, it could be without any knowledge that it was to be used for an illegal act. Being a regular contractor for various Mutt-related works, Mr. Ravi Subramaniam was involved in several monetary as well as administrative activities of the Mutt.

Pointing out that Mr. Raghu was summoned at least six times by the investigation team as a "witness," Mr. Natarajan wanted to know how a witness could be transformed into an accused all of a sudden.

K. Chandrasekaran, counsel for Mr. Iyer, said the police arrested him once it became clear that he would not toe their line even after 18 summons.

The public prosecutor said sufficient evidence was available to prove that money was given both for the murder of Sankararaman and fake surrenders.

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