Sacking of dist judge in Kanchi seer case upheld

Officer helped Sankaracharya settle Sankararaman’s case

CHENNAI: Observing that the judicial officers should maintain a high level of integrity and decorum, the Madras High Court (MHC) refused to quash a government order (GO) removing an additional district judge from service for being involved in settling the murder case against the Kanchi seer Jayendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya.

A division bench comprising Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice K Rajasekar heard the plea preferred by the removed additional district judge.

Observing that the proved charges against the additional district judge are grave in nature, not aligning with the ethical behaviour of a judicial officer and the punishment of removal from service cannot be construed as disproportionate to the gravity of the proved charges, the division bench dismissed the additional district judge’s plea.

Advocate P Sundarrajan moved the Madras high court in August 2011, seeking FIR proceedings in the alleged telephonic conversation between Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Mutt and judicial officers in connection to the murder charge which was pending against the Sankaracharya.

The former assistant commissioner of police, of the cyber crime cell was appointed as an enquiry officer to ascertain the truth, after the direction of the division bench.

The findings of the enquiry officer revealed that the alleged telephonic conversations between Jayendra Saraswathi Sankaracharya, then fifth additional district judge of Erode, A Rajasekaran, then section officer of MHC Madurai bench, N Ramesh Kumaar, and the CEO of Sree Uthradom Thirunal Academy of Medical Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram, B Gowri Kamatchi to have happened.

Under the direction of the division bench, the Administrative Committee submitted a report in 2016 after conducting the enquiry. The report stated that the telephonic conversation was regarding the financial transaction to settle the Sankararaman murder case which was pending against the Sankaracharya. Subsequently, charges were framed against the then additional district judge Rajasekaran.

Later, the administrative committee, in a meeting held in June 2022, resolved to remove the petitioner (additional district judge) from his service. Subsequently, the full court approved the decision of the committee and a GO was issued by the State removing the additional district judge from the service.

Aggrieved by this the removed additional district judge Rajasekaran moved the MHC seeking to quash the removal order and to pay all terminal benefits.