The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Bail granted to Raghu, Sundaresa Iyer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Bail granted to Raghu, Sundaresa Iyer

Staff Reporter

"Nothing to indicate petitioners' role in murder"

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has granted conditional bail to N. Sundaresa Iyer, Kanchi Mutt manager, and M.K. Raghu, younger brother of Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi, in the `Sankararaman murder case' and the narcotics case.

The third person to obtain bail in both the cases was Meenakshisundaram. Though Kathiravan was granted bail in the narcotics case, his bail plea was dismissed along with that of Chinna alias Rajnikanth in the murder case.

While Mr. Iyer was arrested on December 24, 2004, Mr. Raghu was picked up by police on December 30, 2004. Their detention, along with nine others, under the Goondas Act was quashed by a Division Bench of the court on May 5.

Ordering their release on bail, Justice S. Sardar Zackria Hussain directed the accused to execute a personal bond for Rs. 25,000 each and furnish two sureties for a like sum each. While Mr. Iyer was asked to stay at Villupuram and sign twice a day before the town police station there, Mr. Raghu was to stay at Coimbatore and appear before the City police station twice a day, at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The Judge said there was nothing to indicate that the petitioners participated in the murder conspiracy. As regards the narcotics case, he said Section 20(1) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was not attracted in the present case, and added, "there is no supporting evidence for the alleged offence...Also, there is no evidence to show that they conspired in jail to kill the approver, Ravi Subramaniam, when he is brought to the Chengalpattu court."

He rejected the bail applications of Kathiravan and Rajnikanth, saying they had conspired with the other accused to murder Sankararaman. He pointed out that the duo participated in the surrender of fake accused in a Chennai court.

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