Kancheepuram: A trial court in Kancheepuram today (Nov 19, 2004) rejected the prosecution application seeking five days police custody of two main accused in the Sankararaman murder case in which Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi has been arrested while another key accused made an in-camera statement before another court.

Just before the court proceedings were to end for the day, First Class Judicial Magistrate G Uthamaraj refused to grant police custody to "Mattu" Baskar alias Baskar and Silverstar alias Stalin on the ground that their 15-days Judicial remand, ordered on November 5 would be lapsing tomorrow.

Spotlight: Kanchi Jayendra Saraswati's Arrest

The two had surrendered before a Thiruvottiyur Court on November 5 and were lodged in the Chennai Central Prison on being remanded.

The investigating officer in the case submitted that the two were required under police custody to trace the car and arms used in the murder of Sankararaman, manager of the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram in September.

The Magistrate earlier extended the remand of five other accused till December 3. All these seven accused were brought to the court with their faces covered.

Earlier, key accused Kathiravan, who is under judicial custody in the sub-jail in Kancheepuram, was produced before Judicial Magistrate II V Damodaran and made a statement under Sec 164 of CrPc. The in-camera proceedings lasted nearly three hours, court sources said.

Kathiravan was produced before the court yesterday also for recording the statement, but the Magistrate had put some questions to him during the in-camera proceedings and directed him to be present today.

The court complex which wore a deserted look after Shankaracharya was remanded to police custody, suddenly saw a flurry of activity in the evening with the police bringing the seven accused to the court.

Meanwhile, the Shankaracharya, who was remanded to police custody earlier in the day by magistrate Uthamaraj, continued to be kept in the all-women police station in Kancheepuram.

Tight security arrangements had been made at the venue and media-persons were barred entry even into the complex.