Two more witnesses turn hostile in `Sankararaman murder case`
PTI | 10:01 PM,Jan 24,2011Puducherry, Jan 24 (PTI) Two more prosecution witnesses today turned hostile during the trial in the Sankararaman murder case in which Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi is the prime accused. When the hearing in the case resumed before Principal District and Sessions Judge K Ramalingam, two of the five witnesses examined turned hostile. Of the 130 witnesses examined so far since the commencement of the trial some two years ago, as many as 67 have turned hostile. Sankararaman, Manager of the Varadararjaperumal temple in Kancheepuram, was allegedly murdered on the premises of the temple on September 3, 2004. Besides Jayendra Saraswathi, his junior Vijayendara Saraswathi is also the prime accused in the case. The two had been accused of hatching a conspiracy to murder Sankararaman. Of the 24 accused only nine were present during the trial today and the absentees included the two seers. Special public Prosecutor N.Devadoss said the two witnesses who turned hostile were retired Tamil Nadu Government officers. They had contradicted the statements they had made earlier before the police in Kancheepuram. The trial was shifted to Puducherry from Chengalpattu district court on Supreme Court's order in October 2005. The Special Public Prosecutor told PTI that the Madras High Court has issued directive to the Puducherry court to accord priority to the case and conduct the hearing on day to day basis.
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