Puducherry, Apr 27 - A local court today adjourned to June 5 further proceedings in the Sankararaman murder case in which the seer of Kanchi Mutt Jayendra and his junior Vijayendra are the prime accused.

Principal District and Sessions Judge C S Murugan adjourned the case as Padma, widow of Sankararaman, had filed a writ petition in the Madras High court seeking directions to Puducherry court to consider her petitions seeking police protection to her family and re-examination of herself, her son and daughter in the case.

Padma had sought police protection on the ground that she and her family members had been allegedly threatened when they had come to depose in the case on August 6, 2009.

The High Court had yesterday ordered the Tamil Nadu Police to provide protection to Padma.

"The respondents (Kancheepuram SP and Crime Branch-CID DSP) shall ensure the safety of the petitioner (S Padma) when she appears before the trial court," Justice S Nagamuthu said, disposing of petitions filed by her seeking police protection for her and family members.

Sankarararman, Manager in the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram, was allegedly murdered on the premises of the temple on September 3, 2004. Jayendra and Vijayendra have been charged under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder).

The trial was shifted to Puducherry court from Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu by an October 2005 Supreme Court order on a petition filed by Jayendra Saraswathi. The two seers were exempted from personal appearance in the case. PTI