The Hindu : National : Murder, criminal conspiracy charges

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 13, 2004

National

National

Murder, criminal conspiracy charges

By K.T. Sangameswaran and V. Venkatasubramanian

By K.T. Sangameswaran and

V. Venkatasubramanian

CHENNAI, NOV. 12. Murder, causing disappearance of evidence and criminal conspiracy are among the charges levelled against the accused in the case relating to the murder of the manager of the Sri Varadarajaperumal temple, in which the Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam is the prime accused, sources said.

The case had been registered for offences under sections 302 (punishment for murder), 201(causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 205 (false personation for purpose of act or proceeding in suit or prosecution), 213 (taking gift etc, to screen an offender from punishment), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.

A total of 14 persons had been arrested in the case so far, including the Kanchi seer and five persons who surrendered before a George Town court and were re-arrested for impersonation, sources said.

According to them, the Acharya was arrested based on certain documentary and other evidence. "He is the prime accused in the case". Investigations revealed that there was "a long standing enmity" between those who were stated to be loyal to the late Paramacharya, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi and those who were loyal to the present head. Sankararaman belonged to the former category.

`Bitter tussle'

Sources said that Sankararaman was reported to have been on a collision course with Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, ever since the latter took over as the head of the peetam.

He had moved the Madras High Court against Sri Jayendra Saraswathi undertaking a tour of China in 2001. So bitter was the tussle that Sankararaman was also stated to have been assaulted when he went to pay homage at the samadhi of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi.

According to a press release from the Director-General of Police, I.K. Govind, on Thursday a police team from Tamil Nadu, which went to Andhra Pradesh, secured Sri Jayendra Saraswathi at Mahboob Nagar. The sources told The Hindu that a criminal conspiracy was allegedly hatched to eliminate Sankararaman. Preliminary investigations revealed that Rs. 40 lakhs was fixed for killing the temple manager. After the murder, Rs.10 lakhs had been cleared.

A person belonging to Red Hills near here, who was already involved in a few murders and detained under the Goondas Act four times, was contacted for the execution of the plan.

He in turn got in touch with the leader of the gang from Thiruvottiyur, who organised the killing.

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