Tuesday, February 7 2006 12:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Madras High Court today (Feb 7,2006) dismissed a petition by Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi, the main accused in the Sankararaman murder case, opposing appearance of the Special Public Prosecutor appointed by the Tamil Nadu Government in the case even after it was transferred to a Pondicherry court.

Justice M Jeyapaul rejected the Seer's contention that under sections 6, 7 (1) and 9 of CrPC, the Union Territory of Pondicherry alone was empowered to appoint a PP in its Sessions division.

The Sankaracharya had sought a direction to the union territory government to appoint a PP for the case in place of those appointed by Tamil Nadu.

He had also sought to set aside the January 25 order of the Principal distric-cum-session Judge, Pondicherry,dismissing his petition for app a PP for the case from the union territory.

The case relates to the September 2004 murder of Kancheepuram Varadaraja Perumal temple official Sankararaman.

Besides the Seer, 23 others, including Junior Sankaracharya Vijayendra Saraswathi, his younger brother Raghu and Mutt manager sundaresa Iyer, are arraigned in the case.

The Tamil Nadu Government had appointed advocates P S Nagarajan and K S Ramasamy as special public prosecutors for the case which was transferred to Pondicherry by the Supreme Court on a petition from the seer last year.