'Acharyas pooled in money for murder'

Indian Express Newspapers: "More dirt has been dug up in the Sankararaman murder case with the junior Shankaracharya’s brother reportedly telling Tamil Nadu police that he had paid Rs 15 lakh to the senior, Jayendra Saraswathi, as their ‘‘share of expenses’’ for the killing. M K Raghu, who has been charged on six counts in the case including murder, allegedly told the Special Investigation Team in a statement, accessed by The Sunday Express, that he had handed over the money, which was diverted from accounts of two trusts associated with the Kanchi Mutt, to Jayendra on Vijayendra’s instructions.

Two weeks ago, key accused-turned-approver Ravi Subramaniam, a contractor, had told the probe team that the two Shankaracharyas had hatched the murder plot in March last year. Raghu claims in his statement that on Sept 1, 2004, Subramaniam and two other key accused, Appu and Kathiravan, met Vijayendra and informed him about the decision to kill Sankararaman, allegedly taken at the instance of Jayendra

Raghu says that though he did not enjoy any official say in Mutt affairs, he controlled two trusts associated with it—SSSVS Trust and Ghatikasramam Trust—by appointing his persons as their trustees, thanks to the clout he enjoyed as Vijayendra’s brother. On September 3, 2004, the day Sankararaman was killed, Raghu says he issued an ICICI Bank cheque for Rs five lakh from the SSSVS Trust account along with instructions for a demand draft in the name of one Residency Builders.

The DD reached Residency Builders on September 4, was encashed and Raghu got the money the next afternoon, the statement says. The same night, he allegedly handed over the Rs five lakh to Jayendra Saraswati as their share in the Rs 10 lakh paid to Appu, a Chennai-based don, says Raghu. Vijayendra then allegedly told Raghu that Jayendra had also been asking for their share of the Rs 20 lakh spent on arranging the surrender of five fake accused and purchase of three new motorcycles for the killers, the statement says. Allegedly on Jayendra’s instructions, Raghu took a photo of Radhakrishnan from a Mutt album, wrote his address on the reverse and handed it over to Ravi Subramaniam, the statement says."