CHENNAI, INDIA, November 17, 2004: The Tamil Nadu police has shocking but solid information on the links of Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswathi with the murderers of Sankararaman, J. Jayalalithaa told the state Assembly today. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister today broke her silence on the arrest by making a statement. Jayalalithaa said her Government had proved by the arrest that everybody is equal before the law.
Based on the information provided by two people arrested at Chennai on November 9, police got vital information about the link of the Swamiji with those hired to murder the temple official, she said. He had also links in drawing huge money from Math’s bank account and handing it over to the hirelings, she said. He also had links in making five people, who did not have any connection with the murder, surrender to sidetrack the investigation. Those who committed the murder had spoken to Jayendra Saraswathi over telephone, she said.
The Chief Minister denied the charge of BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi and NDA convenor George Fernandes of violation of law in effecting the arrest. She said all legal formalities were observed right from his arrest till he was lodged at the central Prison at Vellore. Jayalalithaa said the Acharya was arrested at Mahbubnagar in Andhra Pradesh around 10 pm on November 11, only to avoid any law and order problem. The arrest was effected with the assistance of Andhra Pradesh police, she said.
A case of an attack on Math associate Radhakrishnan and his wife on September 20, 2002, had also been handed over to the police team investigating the Sankararaman murder case as the two were similar cases, she said. In that case, too, police had got information that Jayendra Saraswathi had conspired to finish off Radhakrishnan as the Swamji suspected that he had written letters making allegations against him (Swamiji), she said.
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