Assault case: Warrant against Kanchi seer

A sessions court on Monday ordered the issuance of a bailable warrant against Kanchi Acharya Jayendra Saraswati in the auditor Radhakrishnan assault case, but withheld its execution for a day.

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The seer was cited as the prime accused in the case, in which ten others were also cited as accused.

When the case came up for hearing before First Additional Sessions Judge A R Selvakumar, petitions under Section 317 of Criminal Procedure Code were filed on behalf of the seer and former Kanchi Mutt manager N Sundaresa Iyer, seeking to dispense with their personal appearance for the day on the grounds that the Acharya was performing poojas and that Iyer was unwell.

While allowing the petition filed on behalf of Sundaresa Iyer, the judge rejected the plea made on behalf of the seer.

The judge said that during the last hearing, the court had made it clear that the seer should appear before the court on the next hearing. But he failed to do so. Hence, the court ordered the issuance of a bailable warrant against him.

K S Dinakaran, appearing for the seer, submitted that the warrant's execution might be withheld till April eight and assured that the seer would appear before the court by then. But the judge said that the court will withhold the execution of the warrant only for a day.

The warrant would be executed on April five, the judge said, while posting further hearings in the case for April 19. Meanwhile, the prosecution submitted that Kadiravan, who was lodged in Tiruchirapalli prison, and Appu, lodged in Cuddalore prison, could not be produced before the court on security reasons.

However, accused-turned-approver and building Contractor Ravi Subramaniam was produced before the court, while seven other accused, including Raghu, younger brother of junior Acharya Vijayendra Saraswati, appeared before the court.