The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Unfair to attribute motives to Acharya's arrest: PMK

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Unfair to attribute motives to Acharya's arrest: PMK

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, NOV. 14. The founder leader of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, S. Ramadoss, has strongly condemned Hindutva forces in the country for attempting to divert the issue of the arrest of the Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, on the charge of "abetting" the murder of Sankararaman, the manager of the Sri Varadarajaperumal Temple at Kancheepuram.

Dismissing the controversies that surrounded the arrest as unnecessary, Dr. Ramadoss said that the case was related to a murder and hence it was "unfair" to attribute motives to the arrest. The murdered person remained close to the Paramacharya and had worked in the Mutt. The Tamil Nadu police, after investigation and based on evidence, had arrested the present acharya for abetting the murder, which was a serious crime. "Hence there is no justification in the allegations from certain quarters that the acharya was arrested for some ulterior political motives," he said.

Demands report

The PMK leader also reiterated his demand that Tamil Nadu Government should submit a detailed report on the arrest of the seer, which, he hoped, would put an end to these unnecessary controversies.

He asked how the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh could have said that his Government had resisted the arrest of the seer for 12 hours when he stayed in Mahabubnagar in Hyderabad.

Media reports claimed that the former Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee spoke to the Home Minister in this regard.

"Hence, in these circumstances, it is vital for the Tamil Nadu Government to release a detailed report on the arrest so that all misgivings attached to the arrest could be dispelled and outside interferences could be stalled so that a free and fair trial is ensured," he said. When the Acharya was remanded to judicial custody on the first day of his arrest, a petition seeking bail was filed before the High Court on a holiday bypassing the Sessions Court.

The court, he said also took up the petition for hearing and even made certain suggestions. "I do not want to go deep into this controversial issue that whether it was justified or not. But I am sure that it would create a wrong impression in the minds of the public and set a bad precedent," he said.

The PMK founder was not averse to the idea of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board of the Tamil Nadu Government taking over the Mutt.

Dr. Ramadoss urged the Tamil Nadu police to take stringent action against contract killers in the State.

"Without the knowledge of the local police, these contract killers cannot operate," he added.

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