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.
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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.
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The appeal challenged the April 29 last order of First Additional Sessions Judge P Rajamanickam acquitting the Sankaracharya and eight other accused.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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However, during the trial, he was declared a hostile witness.