The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Junior Acharya's bail plea adjourned amid protest

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 20, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Junior Acharya's bail plea adjourned amid protest

By A. Subramani

CHENGALPATTU, JAN. 19. The Chengalpattu sessions court today adjourned to January 25 the hearing on the bail pleas of the junior Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi; his brother and others, amid vociferous protests from counsel, who alleged that adjournments were being granted "casually and mechanically."

When the bail petitions in the Sankararaman murder case came up before the principal sessions judge (in-charge), Vanangamudi, the public prosecutor, K. Arumugam, sought an adjournment till January 27, without specifying any reason.

Opposing the prayer, advocate A. Natarajan said the junior Acharya's brother, Raghu, was arrested a few days after he underwent a surgery and he needed specialised treatment. The prosecution's plea had "no valid reason and justification."

`A ploy'

D. Lakshmana Reddiyar, counsel for Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi, said the prosecution, after seeking adjournments, moved a police custody plea in the Kancheepuram judicial magistrate court "behind his back." He said, "when we gracefully agreed to an adjournment earlier when all related matters were clubbed and sought to be posted for hearing today, they used it as a ploy to stall all bail proceedings in this court. We take serious exception to this attitude."

When the prosecutor insisted on posting the matter to January 27, Mr. Natarajan said counsel would agree to even a longer adjournment if the accused were released on interim bail. He offered to submit all medical records of Mr. Raghu.

K. Chandrasekaran, counsel for the Mutt manager, Sundaresa Iyer, pointed out that the first accused, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, was granted bail by the Supreme Court and there was no reason for keeping the others in jail. "Tell me one good reason to keep him inside jail further. During earlier hearings they said we would flee justice if enlarged on bail. But, now it is they who flee courts."

N.B. Koteeswaran, who appeared for R. Arumugam and V. Senthilkumar, arrested in connection with alleged bogus surrenders, said the two had been in jail for about two months now. As they were the sole breadwinners of their families, their "arrest brought the families to the streets."

The judge then posted the matter to January 25 for a "final hearing."

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