Sankararaman murder case: SC stays trial

The Supreme Court today stayed the trial in the R Sankararaman murder case against Kanchi seer Sri Jayendra Saraswathy Swamigal.

The Supreme Court today stayed the trial in the R Sankararaman murder case against Kanchi seer Sri Jayendra Saraswathy Swamigal. A Bench of Justices K G Balakrishnan and D K Jain stayed the trial on an appeal by the seer that the trial was “biased”.

The stand of the seer, prime accused in the Sankararaman murder case, is that continuation of prosecution by the Tamil Nadu government despite the case being transferred to Pondicherry amounted to “gross miscarriage of criminal justice administration”.

The apex court in a brief order said that “the Pondicherry court shall not proceed with the trial of the case till further order”.

The Madras High Court had earlier allowed the Tamil Nadu Government to continue with its own prosecutor. The case has been transferred to Pondicherry on the orders of the Supreme Court on a petition by the Kanchi Peeth pontiff that “free and fair trial” would not be possible in Tamil Nadu.

During the hearing, the apex court observed that the Tamil Nadu Government has “no business” to go to Pondicherry to conduct the case. “The Tamil Nadu government is no longer a prosecuting state,” the court observed.

It listed the matter for further hearing in the second week of July.