A local court today adjourned toApril 16 hearing in the Sankararaman murder case, in whichKanchi Mutt seers Jayendra Saraswathi and his juniorVijayendra saraswathi are the prime accused.
The hearing resumed before Principal District and SessionsJudge C S Murugan,who adjourned further proceedings to Apr 16.
Special Public Prosecutor N Devadoss later told reportersthat arguments by the prosecution and defence counsels for allthe accused had already been completed in earlier hearings.
He said the Judge had directed him and defence counsel C PTirunavukarasu (appearing for approver Ravi Subramanian whoturned hostile during earlier hearings) to submit theirpetitions with arguments and prayers to handle the situationarising out of the approver turning hostile during depositionon January 21, 2010.
These petitions would be considered by the local courtfor further action in consultation with the Madras High Court,the special public prosecutor told reporters.
Only 13 of the 23 accused were present in the court todayand among those present included Vijayendra.
Sankararaman, manager in Varadarajaperumal temple inKancheepuram was allegedly murdered on the premises of thetemple on Sept 3, 2004. The two seers have been charged underIPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder).
The trial in the case was shifted to Puducherry court on anorder of the Supreme Court issued in a writ petition filed bythe seer Jayendrar in October 2005.
A total of 189 prosecution witnesses have so far beenexamined during the trial between 2009 and 2011. Eighty one ofthem turned hostile during examination.