The Hindu : National : Orchestrated campaign to weaken case: Jayalalithaa

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 17, 2005

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National

Orchestrated campaign to weaken case: Jayalalithaa

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JAN. 16. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, today said a "concerted, orchestrated campaign" in support of the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, was underway as part of efforts to "weaken" the Sankararaman murder case.

In a statement, Ms. Jayalalithaa said "wasteful" advertisements were being released and slanderous news about the investigating officers was being published. Attempts were being made to negate the confessional statements recorded by the court. False news was being fed to certain newspapers and TV channels. Hunger strikes, demonstrations and television debates were being organised. "These tactics are being resorted to as a concerted, orchestrated campaign in support of the accused, at enormous expenditure, to obfuscate the legal proceedings and with a view to somehow weakening the case," she said.

`No time limit'

Ms. Jayalalithaa pointed out that there is no stipulation in the law specifying any time limit for completing an investigation, though the person arrested on a murder charge has to be released on bail if the charge sheet is not filed within 90 days of the arrest. "In the Sankararaman murder case, no arrested person has completed 90 days of detention."

So far, 26 persons have been arrested. The depositions of various witnesses have been recorded by the Investigating Officer and by the Court under Section 164 of the Cr.P.C. Hundreds of documents have been seized and their nature and relevance to the case are being studied.

"In the meanwhile, with a view to stalling the investigation, there have been moves by the accused to resort to frequent filing of bail petitions from forum to forum," the Chief Minister said.

`Rude shock'

Prior to the murder, Radhakrishnan, a resident of Mandavelli in Chennai, had been "brutally attacked with dangerous weapons" and Madhavan of Thirukoshtiyur had been "brutally assaulted by an unidentified gang" on a road in Chennai. The investigations into these cases revealed certain shocking facts, she said. "It pointed to the involvement of certain personages who could never have been suspected of involvement in such crimes. When these names were brought to my knowledge, it came as a rude shock to me," she said.

Referring to the leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party asking her to withdraw the case and apologise for what had taken place so far, she said: "It is painful to note that such requests are being made by persons who had earlier administered the country."

BJP supporters thought that religious leaders were above the law and no investigation could be conducted against them, she said. "It is for the public to think and judge whether their view is right or not."

`Constitutional duty'

Ms. Jayalalithaa said, as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, she also held the Home portfolio and administered the police department. As a public servant, it was her constitutional duty to serve the people without fear or favour. "When law empowers the Investigation Officers to have the necessary and essential power to investigate, how can a Chief Minister interfere in it one way or the other?" she asked. "The BJP may be interested in taking up this issue in their programme to rehabilitate their party. I cannot yield to their request contrary to the law of the land," she added.

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