Wednesday, February 2 2005 12:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kancheepuram: Petitions against the detention of Kanchi Junior Pontiff Vijayendra Saraswathi's brother R Raghu and Kanchi Mutt manager Sundaresa Iyer, under the Goondas Act, has been submitted to the district collector in Kancheepuram.

After their arrest by the special investigation team in the Sankararaman murder case in December, Raghu and Iyer were detained under the Goondas Act on January 22 (Tamil Nadu prevention of dangerous activities of bootleggers, drug offenders, goondas, immoral traffic offenders, slum grabbers and video pirates Act, 1982), which prevents bail being sought from the courts.

Only a review committee headed by a former judge of the High court, could hear their case and if it felt that the detention was illegal under the Act, it could order their release.

As the Act necessitates the filing of objections within 12 days, the petitions were filed with the collector, who was authorised to detain any person against whom the police forwarded a proposal for detention under the Act.

The application for Raghu was submitted to the collector yesterday (Feb 01, 2005) by his counsel Revathi Vasudevan and petition for Iyer was sent by post.

In a related development Darwin Wisdom, the counsel for Rajini, Bhaskar and Anil who were also detained under Goondas Act, had moved a habeas corpus writ at the Madras High court.

A total of 10 persons were booked under the Act.