The Hindu : National : NHRC seeks report on `selective leakage' of video on Acharya

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Friday, Jan 14, 2005

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NHRC seeks report on `selective leakage' of video on Acharya

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, JAN. 13 . The National Human Rights Commission today asked the Tamil Nadu Government to send a report on the "selective leakage" through some television channels of video excerpts of the alleged police interrogation of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, on Wednesday.

In a suo motu action, the Commission headed by the Chairperson, Justice A.S. Anand, while considering the telecast of the video excerpts selectively leaked by the police through some television channels, said, "it raises an issue about the rights of a person facing investigation to a fair trial — a Constitutional imperative."

The Commission therefore called upon the Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu, and the Director-General of Police to furnish a factual report on the selective leakage of the video excerpts.

It also said that from various reports appearing in the media, both print and electronic, it had come to the Commission's notice that within hours of the order of the Supreme Court directing the release on bail of Sri Jayendra Saraswathi in the "Sankararaman murder case," the junior Sankaracharya, who was offering puja in the Kanchi Mutt, was told by the police that he was being taken into custody.

It was reported that the police entered the Mutt, a place of worship, without any permission. Further, the devotees of the Mutt felt that the absence of both Sri Jayendra Saraswathi and Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi would affect the centuries-old tradition of offering daily pujas and had hurt their sentiments. The Commission also sought a report from the State Government within two weeks on the arrest of the junior Acharya.

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