A. Sankararaman, who was the manager of Sri Varadarajaperumal temple in Tamil
Nadu`s Kancheepuram, was murdered in September 2004. There were 24 accused in
the case of which one was killed in KK Nagar in March 2013. The senior and
junior Sankaracharyas of the Mutt - Jayendra Saraswathi and Vijayendra
Saraswathi respectively - were the prime accused. The Puducherry Court acquitted
all 23 accused, including Kanchi Sankara Mutt Sankaracharyas Jayendra Saraswathi
and Vijayendra Saraswathi, in Sankararaman murder case on Wednesday.
The
court said in its order that there was no substance evidence against the
accused. It also observed that the then superintendent of police, Prem Kumar,
took undue interest in the case, but the chief investigating officer failed to
produce all the materials.
The wife and the daughter of the deceased - A.
Sankararaman, who was the manager of Sri Varadarajaperumal temple in Tamil
Nadu`s Kancheepuram at the time of murder in September 2004 - failed to identify
the accused. Even the motorcycle used by the murderers could not be identified
by the witnesses.
The case had been shifted from a Chengalpet court
to Puducherry in 2005 by the Supreme Court following a special leave petition by
Jayendra Saraswathi who insisted that the atmosphere in Tamil Nadu was not
conducive for a free and fair trial.