The Madras High Court on Monday issued notices to Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati and eight other accused of murder charge after it allowed a petition by Tamil Nadu government challenging the trial court order setting them free of the murder charges.

In April last year, trial court R Rajamanickam had set free the Shankaracharya and all other accused from murder charges. The Tamil Nadu government challenged his order that set all the accused free of murder charges observing that the prosecution had failed to prove charges against them. Public prosecutor had contended that the trial court had disregarded certain evidence and that he recommended that the government challenge the trial court order.

The government on Monday filed a petition challenging the trial court order absolving Shankaracharya and eight others for the murder of an office assistant in the ashram premises.

Police first arrested the Acharya on Diwali-eve, November 11, 2004, for the gruesome murder of Sankarara man inside Kanchi Varadarajaperumal Temple on September 3, 2004. When he was still in custody, police formally arrested him for an assault on auditor Radhakrishnan in September 2002.

A gang had attacked Radhak rishnan, a former associate of the Kanchi Mutt, his wife Jayasree and assistant Krishnan in Mandaveli on September 20, 2002.

When the TN government petition came up for hearing on Monday, Justice R Subbiah ordered notices to all the accused including 80 year old Jayendra Saraswathi, returnable after two weeks. The judge ordered notices for arguments on the maintainability of the plea challenging trial court order.