Appu, the main accused in the Sankararaman murder case, on Friday moved the Madras high court seeking the quashing of a Kanchipuram judicial magistrate's order transferring the case to the Chengalpattu sessions court.

He also sought a stay on the proceedings in the sessions court till the petition is disposed of.

Justice S R Singaravelu posted it for hearing on May 10.

On April 13, Judicial Magistrate G Uthamaraj had committed the case, in which Kanchi seers Jayendra Saraswati and Vijayendra Saraswati are among the 24 accused, to the sessions court.

• Holy man in controversy

In his petition, Appu, alias G K Krishnasamy, contended that barely seven days after being furnished copies of the voluminous 1,843-page charge sheet, the magistrate had summoned accused-turned-approver in the case, Ravi Subramaniam, for cross-examination, leaving him (Appu) with no time to give instructions to his advocate.

He said he had filed an application before the magistrate to postpone the cross-examination to a further date but his plea was turned down.

Appu said his application seeking copies of the charge-sheet in Telugu, his mother tongue, was also rejected by the magistrate.

Appu had surrendered to the police on December 19, 2004, in connection with the case and he was placed in judicial custody. Later, he was booked under the Goondas Act.

Meanwhile, Kathiravan, a co-accused in the case, also filed an application in the HC seeking a direction to the police to supply him a copy of his statement made before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

He contended the statement was not among the material provided to him in the copy of the charge sheet.