TN govt challenges acquittal of Kanchi seer in assault case

The Tamil Nadu government today filed an appeal in the Madras High Court challenging a trial court order acquitting Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi and eight others accused of all charges, including an attempt to murder, in the 2002 Radhakrishnan assault case.

Justice R Subbiah, before whom the appeal came up, ordered notice to all the accused, including 80-year old Jayendra Saraswathi, on maintainability of the plea and adjourned the matter for hearing after two weeks.

The appeal challenged the April 29 last order of First Additional Sessions Judge P Rajamanickam acquitting the Sankaracharya and eight other accused.

According to the prosecution, former auditor of the mutt S Radhakrishnan was assaulted by a gang in his home here on September 20, 2002, following a conspiracy hatched by the accused assuming that he was writing letters in the pseudo name of Somasekhara Ganapadigal highlighting alleged 'irregularities' in the Kanchi Sankara Mutt.

It had contended the attack was a consequence of Jayendra Saraswathi allegedly expressing frustration over such letters and asking mutt manager Sundaresa Iyer and Raghu, brother of his junior Vijayendra Saraswathi, to do something about it.

A case was registered against 12 persons but two of the accused had died during the pendency of the case while Ravi Subramaniam had turned approver.

However, during the trial, he was declared a hostile witness.