Tuesday, January 18 2005 15:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The cash-strapped Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt today (Jan 18, 2005) secured some relief from the Madras High Court with Justice K P Sivasubramaniam permitting it to operate two of the accounts in a branch of Indian Bank at Kancheepuram, to meet the day-to-day expenses of the Mutt.

The interim order, effective till January 25, was issued by the Judge on a petition filed by Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadhipathi Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Swamigal Mutt, which contended that the money was needed to meet various expenditure of the Mutt.

Earlier in the day, the Judge had told counsel for the Mutt T R Rajagopal that the Mutt could operate an account and had asked Rajagopal to identify which account in the Indian Bank the Mutt would operate.

However, when the court resumed after the lunch recess, Rajagopal sought the court's permission to operate five accounts, which was strongly objected to by the Tamil Nadu Public Prosecutor K Doraisamy.

After this the Judge permitted the Mutt to operate one current account and one savings bank account. Rajagopal assured the court that the Mutt would provide a day-to-day statement of bank transaction to the court. The Judge also directed that a copy of the bank transaction be given to the special police team investigating the Sankararaman murder case.

The Mutt had filed a petition yesterday (Jan 17, 2005) seeking a direction from Madras High Court to restrain the Government from interfering with the right of the Mutt to operate various bank accounts.

"The freezing of bank accounts has now rendered the performance of religious duties impossible," S Mahadevan, manager of the Mutt had said in a petition in the High Court, filed on behalf of the Mutt.

"It is well settled that the Mutt is a legal entity and will have to be seen as an entity distinct from the Pontiffs, who preside over the Mutt," the petition had said, adding that the action had rendered the performance of religious and other duties impossible.