Friday, February 25 2005 18:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government today (Feb 25, 2005) charged Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi with attempting to influence Ravi Subramaniam, accused-turned-approver in the Sankararaman Murder case, by threatening and trying to bribe him, through two women lawyers, to change his statement implicating the Seer in the murder.

In a counter affidavit in the Madras High Court in response to the plea for anticipatory bail by the Pontiff, who apprehended arrest on a complaint preferred by Chitra, wife of Subramaniam, Government said the Seer with the help of his associates, some of them advocates, intimidated and offered a huge amount of money to Subramaniam.

Meanwhile, a Mutt advocate A Shanmugham today moved the High Court to order a CBI probe into the complaint given by Chitra that women lawyers Revathi Vasudevan and Nadira Banu had threatened her husband with dire consequences and attempted to bribe him to change his statement.

Based on the statement, police had registered a FIR in which Shanmugam's name figured.

When the Seer's anticipatory bail application came up for hearing today in the court of Justice M Thanickachalam, the Judge posted it for hearing on March 3, 2005.

Admitting Shanmugam's petition for a CBI probe, Justice K P Sivasubramaniam ordered issue of notice to the Government and State police, returnable by March 3, 2005.