Tuesday, January 18 2005 18:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kancheepuram: The special police team probing the Sankararaman murder case, has completed its investigations and is ready to file the chargesheet on January 21, Superintendent of Police Sakthivelu, chief investigation officer, said in Kancheepuram today (Jan 18, 2005).

"We are ready to file the chargesheet anytime of the day (on Jan 21)," he told reporters.

The special team had arrested Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi on November 11 from Mahbubnagar in Andhra Pradesh, and cited him as the prime accused in the murder case.

The team has arrested 26 persons including the Junior Acharya, Vijayendra Saraswathi, in connection with the murder of Sankararaman, a temple official, in September 2004.

The list also includes Ravi Subramaniam, Contractor, and Appu, alias Krishnaswami, who were cited as accused number 2 and three respectively for allegedly having conspired with the Shankaracharya to commit the crime.

Ravi Subramaniam had given an in camera statement under section 164 of the CrPC before the magistrate, which, according to police, had led to the discovery that Vijayendra Saraswathi was actually the no 2 accused in this case, and not just remotely connected as originally believed. Mutt manager Sundaresa Iyer, who also has been accused in the Sankararaman case, has been charged with tampering of records of the Mutt accounts, and the accountant Viswanatha Iyer has been charged with complicity.

Provisions of the Goondas Act also have been invoked against eight accused in the case directly involved in the murder and falsifying of evidence. Steps have been taken to include the names of three others including Raghu, brother of the junior Acharya, in the list, according to sources.