Assault case

THE verdict in the case relating to the assault on auditor S. Radhakrishnan, his wife and their attendant at Mandaveli, Chennai, on September 22, 2002, in which Jayendra Saraswathi, the Shankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt, is one of the accused, is yet to be given. The trial is under way in a Sessions Court in Chennai.

On November 23, 2004, when Jayendra Saraswathi was in prison following his arrest in the Sankararaman murder case, he was arrested in the case relating to the attack on Radhakrishnan, a former associate of the Sankara Mutt, as the Kanchi Mutt is commonly known (“The course of law”, Frontline , December 17, 2004). Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the State Assembly on November 17, 2004: “Investigation revealed that Sri Jayendra Saraswathi suspected that Radhakrishnan wrote letters in the name of Somasekhara Ganapadigal, making serious allegations against him. It also came to light that Sri Jayendra Saraswathi plotted with his henchmen and associates to eliminate Radhakrishnan.”

In the Sankararaman murder case, the police had claimed that Sankararaman had bombarded the senior acharya with letters written in his own name and under the pseudonym of Somasekhara Ganapadigal complaining about his (Jayendra Saraswathi’s) administration of the mutt, and pointing out “financial irregularities” in the mutt, among other things. This was claimed to be the motive for the murder. Since there were similarities between the two cases, the police team investigating the Sankararaman murder case was told to probe the “violent attack” on Radhakrishnan as well, Jayalalithaa had said.

The police have cited 11 persons as accused in the case. They have been charged with offences under Section 120B (criminal conspiracy), Section 450 (house trespass in order to commit offence), Section 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), Section 307 (attempt to murder) read with Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

T.S. Subramanian