Seer case: Habeas Corpus petition admitted

Chennai, Dec 3 (UNI) The Madras High Court today admitted a habeas corpus petition, seeking the release of Ravi Subramaniam, an approver in the Sankararaman murder case, in which Kanchi senior acharya Jayendra Saraswati and junior acharya Vijayendra Saraswati were arraigned as main accused.

A division Bench, comprising Justices P D Dinakaran and R Regupathi, ordered notice to the Additional Superintendent of Police, Special Investigating Team, Kancheepuram, and the sub-jail superintendent.

Petitioner Murali, who is Subramaniam's brother, said he filed the petition as Subramaniam, being an approver in the case, could not seek bail under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.

While almost all the accused in the case, including the acharyas, were released on bail, his brother was languishing in jail for over three years, after he was arrested in February 2005.

The petitioner submitted that his brother was not involved in the murder, but knew the case history. He would not go against his statement given to the police if he was released, he added.

Sankararaman, the manager of Lord Varadarajaperumal temple in Kancheepuram, was brutally murdered in September 3, 2004, and the case was being tried in a court in Puducherry.

The petitioner also sought bail for his brother in the Auditor Radhakrishnan attack case, in which too Subramaniam turned approver.

UNI