Puducherry, A local court today adjourned to June 8, the hearing in Sankararaman murder case in which Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi and his junior Vijayendra Saraswathi are the prime accused. Sankararaman, manager of the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram, was allegedly murdered on the premises of the temple on September 3, 2004.
The court was to have taken up today the petition filed by Sankararaman's wife S Padma in April this year seeking retrial of the case. She had also sought protection to her and her children as she alleged she had faced threats while coming to the court in August 2009 to depose as prosecution witness.
The Judge however adjourned the hearing to June 8 as neither Padma nor her counsel turned up. Her son Aravind Kumar Sharma, who was present, told the court that his mother was
indisposed and hence could not be present today.
The Judge ordered petitioner and the counsel to be present at the next hearing. Special Public Prosecutor N Devadoss told reporters later that the Judge also directed that all 24 accused, including the seers to also be present at the next hearing.
He said the court had exempted the seers from appearing only for one hearing in April. Only 12 of the 24 accused were present in court today. The absentees included the two seers. A total of 189 prosecution witnesses have been examined in the case and 87 have turned hostile.
The case was shifted to Puducherry from Chengalpet court by the Supreme Court on a petition Jayendra Saraswathi before the Apex Court in October 25. The two seers have been charged under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 320 (murder) of IPC.
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