Monday, July 18 2005 15:39 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi, the main accused in the Radhakrishnan assault case, and 11 other accused were today (July 18, 2005) furnished copies of the chargesheet by a city court.

The 23rd Metropolitan Magistrate Umamaheswari provided the copies of the chargesheet to the Seer and others, including Kanchi Sankara Mutt Manager S Sundaresa Iyer, Raghu, brother of the Junior Pontiff of the Mutt Vijeyndra Saraswathi.

She posted the case for further hearing on August 18.The case relates to the assault of a Mutt devotee Radhakrishnan in the city in September 2000.

The police filed a 600-page chargesheet in June last.

Barring Ravi Subramaniam, the accused turned approver; Appu and Kathiravan had been granted bail in the case.

They have been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for alleged criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder and acts undertaken by several persons in furtherance of a common intention.

In all, 81 prosecution witnesses have been cited in the chargesheet, pertaining to the assault of former Mutt devotee Radhakrishnan, his wife and attendant in his city residence on September 2, 2002.

Initially the city police in connection with the assault registered a case.

It was later transferred to the Special Investigation Team, set up by the Tamil Nadu Government to probe cases against the Kanchi mutt, its Seers and some mutt officials.