Wednesday, February 16 2005 10:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court yesterday (Feb 15, 2005) granted anticipatory bail to six persons, who were recently questioned by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing cases related to Kanchi Mutt, in the case related to the mysterious death of an employee of a temple at Thirukkurunkudi in Tirunelveli District.

Justice N Kannadasan directed the six to furnish a personal surety of Rs 5,000 each and to sign at Kancheepuram SIT office at 15:00 hrs (IST) each Sunday.

Those granted anticipatory bail are R Seshadri and U Selvam, employees of TVS group, Tirunarayanan, Tirunamam, Namitalaivan and Nambipandian.

Seshadri and Selvam along with their two other colleagues have been granted anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court on January 28 in the Tirukottiyur Madhavan attack case, in which Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi has also moved a Chennai Court seeking anticipatory bail.

The SIT team earlier this month conducted investigations in Tirunelveli District into the January 12 death of Murugesan, an employee of Sri Azhagiya Nambirayar Perumal temple at Thirukkurunkudi, and the attack on Madhavan, a priest, who had objected to the shifting of a Lord Shiva's sub-temple in the Perumal temple complex.

Murugesan was found dead near a railway track near Nagercoil and a case under CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) Sec 174 (suspicious death) was registered. Police later claimed they had recovered a letter from near Murugesan's body stating that the six petitioners in the anticipatory bail plea had threatened to kill him if he did not make changes in temple accounts and registered a case under CrPC Sec 306 (abetment to commit suicide.)