Thursday, February 10, 2005 (Chennai/Kanchipuram):
The Madras High Court today granted bail to junior Kanchi seer Vijayendra Saraswati in the Sankararaman murder case.
The court has set five conditions for giving bail to the junior Shankaracharya. He has been released on a bond of Rs 50,000.
While granting bail, the court has specified that the junior seer cannot leave Chennai. He has been asked to give an affidavit saying he will not tamper with evidence.
Besides surrendering his passport, Vijayendra Saraswati will also have to appear before the Madras High Court every Sunday.
Vijayendra Saraswati, the second accused in the Sankararaman murder case, was arrested on January 10.
He filed an appeal in the high court after a sessions court had rejected his bail application in the case.
Seers to get chargesheets
Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati is expected to appear before the Kanchipuram Judicial Magistrate Court today.
The seer is likely to receive the copy of chargesheet filed against him in the Sankararaman murder case.
All the 24 accused, including the junior seer Vijendra Saraswati, will also receive copies of the chargesheet.
The Special Investigation Team's nearly 2,000-page chargesheet has cited 370 witnesses and contains 712 documents.
Documentary evidence
The seers are facing charges of criminal conspiracy in the Sankararam murder case. The police case rests largely on copies of 39 letters written by the murdered temple manager to the pontiffs.
The letters condemned the seers' activities with regard to administration of the Mutt as well as their personal character and conduct.
Sankararam's wife Padma had handed over the letters to the police. Some letters were also recovered from the accused.
Police say after this the seers decided to order the killing of Sankararaman.
The police is also basing its case on:
* Two blood-stained knives used by the actual hired killers Ambigapathi and Mattu Bhaskar and a revolver
* Six motorcycles bearing registration numbers TN 02 L 0469, TN 02 S 4479, TN 22 U 3267, TN 09 D 9851, TN 04 A 1013 and TN 01 Z 1372 used in the commission of the crime
* A telephone directory and a cell phone number 9364324348 used by Jayendra Saraswati
* Two copies of receipts for alleged lump sum payments given by the approver Ravi Subramaniam at the instance of the pontiff to the other accused Appu and Kathiravan
* Cheques and vouchers to prove disbursement of money to the approver Ravi Subramaniam under the guise of genuine transactions and a cell phone number 9884222354 recovered from the third accused - Mutt manager Sundaresan
* Requisition letters for conversion of demand drafts of Indian Bank and ICICI Bank to make use of the same for unaccounted purposes with a view to execute the common design of conspiracy
* A cell phone number 9842331314 recovered from the junior seer's brother Raghu
* Two receipts for Rs 6 lakh and Rs 1.2 lakh and a cheque signed by Ravi Subramaniam and Sundaresan
* Air tickets from Chennai to Mumbai kept in a sweet box given by Jayendra Saraswati on the occasion of Krishna Jayanthi recovered from the approver Ravi Subramaniam
These are documents the Shankaracharya's lawyers will try to drill holes in.
But the police say that documents, unlike witnesses, cannot turn hostile. They claim its crucial evidence in the murder case.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Jaya mulls early polls on astro advice + new image </b>
Subodh Ghildiyal/ New Delhi
Is Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa planning early Assembly elections? Indications are that she may advance the polls by six months. The reason: Astrological advice coupled with the need for timely encashment of image-building.
Â
Ms Jayalalithaa may call for an early contest by October 2005 even though State elections are scheduled for April-May 2006. Sources said the religious Chief Minister, who makes no bones about invoking the supernatural before beginning any new venture, has reportedly been told that the electoral contest is "worth a try" till October. An AIADMK leader said, "Advancing the polls by six or seven months is no longer frowned at. The astrological advice is in tune with the acceptable limit."
The "astrologically good time" also coincides with an "optimum time-frame" to encash image-building, precipitating jitters within the rainbow alliance led by the DMK, and most importantly the tsunami relief work which the AIADMK feels is a "positive". At the same time, the AIADMK is hoping the DMK alliance will not hold and will split to its advantage.
The fact that Tamil Nadu has not lately returned a Government to power makes it more difficult for the AIADMK which was in May 2004 swept out of the Lok Sabha. In this grim scenario, Ms Jayalalithaa has fallen back on astrology and a timely encashment of whatever she thinks has been a positive for her.
Â
The leader is banking on the image-resurrection exercise she launched after her drubbing. <b>Repeal of the Hindutva agenda was followed by the arrest of the Kanchi seer which the AIADMK feels may cost it four per cent Brahmins but still not benefit the DMK.</b> Otherwise, it feels that the tsunami relief work has endeared the voters to the Government and the killing of Veerappan has helped it gain the confidence of the middle-class and other groups.
Most importantly, the AIADMK is hoping that the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance will crack under the heat of seat-sharing. Its hopes soared when the CPI recently announced its intention to contest a two-digit figure in Tamil Nadu. Relations between the MDMK and the DMK are well-known and Vaiko's personal statements on every issue -- from tsunami to Cauvery river award -- is being seen as a prelude to a future proclamation of independence. Ramadoss' PMK appears to be pitching for a hung Assembly with the party emerging as "indispensable" in Government formation. Congress is another partner for DMK to contend with. The ticklish issue may come up for internal discussion when the DMK executive council meets on February 11.
The AIADMK hopes that the DMK cannot be as generous in the Assembly polls as in the Lok Sabha when it contested only 15 seats and gave 10 to the Congress, five to the PMK, four to the MDMK, two each to the CPI and CPM and one to the IUML. In the 234-seat house, 15 Lok Sabha seats would translate to only 90 Assembly seats. "As seen in Bihar, seat-sharing between allies is not as smooth for the Assembly as in the Lok Sabha," a leader said.
The AIADMK concedes that it has its back to the wall but feels whatever
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Madras High Court finally learns something from the supreme court
Not enough evidence, so release junior seer on bail: Madras High Court
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Chennai, February 10: Holding that there was insufficient evidence to establish the charge of conspiracy against Kanchi mutt junior seer Vijayendra Saraswathi in the Sankararaman murder case, the Madras High Court on Thursday directed that he be released on bail.
"For the limited purpose of establishing a prima facie case of conspiracy, the materials relied upon by the public prosecution appears to be insufficient", Justice M Thanikachalam held while allowing a bail application filed by the junior pontiff, who has been listed as the second accused in the case after senior seer Jayendra Saraswathi.
-----
Holding that the petitioner had made out a case for bail, if it was not otherwise barred, Justice Thanikachalam said the material relied on to rope in Vijayendra in the case "is not so strong as that against A-1 (Jayendra) and the role said to have been played by the petitioner is very limited, even according to the prosecution."
The judge recalled an observation by the apex court that the material relied on by the prosecution to show that the senior seer had conspired to murder Sankararaman may not be sufficient.
Observing that prosecution had strongly opposed the bail application on the ground that the junior Shankaracharya would "tamper" with witnesses, the judge directed him to file an affidavit before the CJM, stating that he would not tamper with witnesses or make any attempt to tamper with materials collected or connected in the case in any manner.
Regarding the possibility of tampering with witnesses, the judge pointed out that an accused, Ravi Subramanian, had turned approver and meddling with his statement may not arise for consideration.
As for the statements of other accused, their validity and admissibility were under a cloud, he said, adding that the statements of two witnesses Kannan and Subramaniam did not convey much.
He said after going through the confessional statement by co-accused Appu alias Krishnasamy, he was unable to find any material connecting the petitioner with the crime, whether in conspiracy or otherwise.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Srini, I get to scoop you again!! <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Chennai High Court rules Kanchi Mutt Accounts cannot be frozen.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->FORMAL COMPLAINT BY THE HINDU CONFERENCE OF CANADA TO THE EDITOR OF OUTLOOK MAGAZINE
Dear Sir,
On behalf of the members and supporters of the Hindu Conference of Canada, I am writing to lodge a formal complaint against your magazineâs distasteful and irresponsible coverage of the seerâs arrest. The columns written by Mr. S. Anand, which were featured in your magazines November, December and January issues, were filled with uncorroborated statements and outrageous claims. Mr. Anandâs rhetoric can verily be construed as hate propaganda aimed at inciting and fomenting hatred against Hindu minorities in Tamil Nadu for the following reasons:
* Mr. Anand is a contributor and supporter of Dalitstan.org, an internet based hate group. The group openly supports and promotes violence against Hindus (especially Brahmins) in Tamil Nadu and across India. In fact, the groupâs site has been blocked under the category of violence and hate speech by Surfwatch patrol, parental control software used by many households and schools in the United States and Canada.
* A survey of Mr. Anandâs writings clearly indicates that his prime focus is on denigrating, debasing, and demeaning Hindu culture and tradition.
* Mr. Anandâs dubious and unnamed sources appear to be mainly from the Tamil Nadu police and government, both of which are famous for their corruption and unscrupulous methods. It is rather curious that Mr. Anand has gone on a limb and made outrageous claims and allegations based on his so-called sources from the Tamilnadu police. This is inspite of the Supreme Courtâs judgment, which questioned the credibility of much of the evidence gathered by the Tamil Nadu police, and the recent NHRC notice to the TN government about police practices.
* The title and tone of Mr. Anandâs writings clearly indicate his zeal for inflicting the maximum damage through his article on the Kanchi mutt, the acharyas and his followers, who come mainly from the minority Brahmin community.
Your decision to publish Mr. Anandâs hateful rants clearly demonstrates a lack of editorial discretion, professionalism, and journalistic ethics. In fact, it is quite reasonable to go a step further and conclude that, by allowing Mr. Anand to use your magazine as a tool to spread his hateful propaganda, you have leant support to the ideology of intolerance and vengeance propounded by Mr. Anand and his ilk.
We hope your magazineâs senior management will give due consideration to the issues raised above and exercise meaningful editorial discretion in the future; otherwise, you leave us with no alternative but to pursue Economic and Legal sanctions against your on-line journal, which is available to the Canadian public via the internet.
(A hard copy of the letter will follow shortly.)
Sincerely,
Ron Banerjee
Director, Hindu Conference of Canada
E-mail: info@hccanada.com
Tel: 416-902-4970
Website: www.hccanada.com
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Freeze on Kanchi mutt account off<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> "Religious organisations cannot be paralysed or closed down virtually by freezing their accounts only for the reason that the head of the organisation and a few office bearers are alleged to be involved in some offences," the judge held.
Referring to the freezing of 183 accounts of the mutt under section 102 CrPC, the judge said Parliament had restricted the power under the section to 'specific and narrow limits'.
He said deposits could be brought under the section provided the deposits represented either stolen money or was connected with the commission of any offence.
"In short, there must be a nexus to the crime alleged and the money to be seized", the judge said.
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Judiciary brand eggs have found new apartments on some faces. With the heat rising omelette making should start soon.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--> By Our Special Correspondent
MADURAI, FEB.11. The Janata Party president, Subramanian Swamy, has demanded the closure of the Sankararaman murder case against the Kanchi Acharyas in the light of the observations made by the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court while hearing their bail petitions.
<b>Talking to newspersons here today, Dr. Swamy said the higher courts had observed that there was no prima facie case against the Acharyas and hence, he said, the police should file a closure report under Section 173 of the Indian Penal Code in the appropriate court. In the event of the Chief Minister, who also holds the Home portfolio, not ordering the closure, "she will be liable for civil and criminal prosecution under Section 195 and Section 358 of Criminal Procedure Code and the Civil Procedure Code," the Janata Party leader claimed.</b>
Dr. Swamy demanded the removal of the Kancheepuram Superintendent of Police, K. Premkumar, from the investigation, suspension and his prosecution on the basis of the sanction accorded by the Governor, through the Government Order (3 D) No. 67, dated May 21, 2003, of the Home Department, in a case registered by the Nagercoil Crime Branch CID on October 14, 2002. If the case was not closed, the Janata Party, in association with the Viswa Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindu Munnani, Bharatiya Janata Party and other like-minded forces would launch an agitation against the "international conspiracy to tarnish the image of those who held a haloed status in society," he said.
On the demand of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for repoll in all the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies of the State, Dr. Swamy posed why the party's general secretary, Jayalalithaa, waited so long to make the demand. He also pointed out that the AIADMK was in power when the electoral rolls were revised and the party's ally was ruling at the Centre when the elections were held.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
"Six motorcycles bearing registration numbers TN 02 L 0469, TN 02 S 4479, TN 22 U 3267, TN 09 D 9851, TN 04 A 1013 and TN 01 Z 1372 used in the commission of the crime"
According to a Tamil website, thatstamil.indianinfo.com, S.Gurumurthy, the journalist, is alleged to have gone underground, apprehending arrest by the SIT of the Sankararaman murder case.
The SP Shakthivel, according to the website, appears to have prevailed upon the Kanchipuram Magistrate Uttamraj to issue the warrant.
Interesting post by user "AnushaChennai" from kanchi-forum..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Look at the following sequence of events. A strange combination unfolds a master plan carefully executed by powerful forces inimical to the Shankara Mutt, with ulterior motive of maligning the Acharyas, the Mutt and Hinduism as a whole. This motive can be there only with politicians eyeing for Minority vote bank.
1) July 2004: Appu applies to the High Court for permission to go abroad.
2) 8th August 2004: Thirukkottiyur Madhavan meets with a road accident in Greames Road, Chennai, gets treated at Apollo hospital for road accident injuries, the medical report also clearly states this.
3) 10th August 2004: Media reports that Thirukkottiyur Madhavan was attacked by unknown assailants, but Madhavan does not lodge any such complaint.
4) 30th August 2004: Shankararaman writes his last letter. (Who promised him that action would be taken by HR&CE Board if he writes this letter, prompting him to do this has to be found out)
5) 3rd September 2004: Someone (Is he the same person who promised action if he writes the letter dated 30th August 2004? Is he a person connected with Powers that be or Police or HR&CE Board or Government?) informed Shankararaman that action is being taken by the powers that be on his letter dated 30th August 2004. (That Shankararaman was so informed by someone is the claim of by the Prosecution statements before the Courts).
6) 3rd September 2004: According to prosecution, at 1.30 p.m., Shankararaman telephones one Vaidyanathan and tells him that he has reliable information that the HR & CE Board has taken action on his letter.
7) 3rd September 2004: Shankararaman is brutally murdered inside the temple premises.
8) October 2004: False culprits surrender, it includes a person who was inside the prison on 3rd September 2004! No one who was inside the prison on a day of occurance would surrender like this unless he is assured by persons in power of his safety.
9) 4th November 2004: Madras High Court grants permission to Appu to go abroad for medical treatment. The prosecution knows that Appu is an accused in the Shankararaman case as soon as the false culprits have surrendered and they have been enquired. Yet, the prosecution has not done anything to oppose Appuâs petition to the High Court for permission to go abroad. What could be the reason?
10) 11th November 2004: Senior Pontif was arrested in Mahabubnagar. Appu being a known delinquant is the most likely to flee justice, he was not arrested, but the Acharya was arrested and the Police stated that He had plans to hop-step-and-jump by Helicopter to Nepal.
11) 19th November 2004: Kathiravan gives his statement. Appu surfaces in Chittoor.
12) December 2004: Police go by special plane on Bharat Darshan in search of Appu! They find out that Appu had not left India (Was that according to their plan?) and come back and file (with obvious reluctance) a petition in the High Court and get an order canceling the permission to Appu to go out of the country!
13) End December 2004: Appu surfaces / surrenders/ the Police say that they arrested him at gun-point while he poses with the largest possible smile on his bright and care free face, well dressed and well kempt. Appu immediately falls so sick he has to be in ICU in Cuddalore Hospital, then in Chennai Hospital etc, but he presents the same well kempt, broad smiling face, happy as ever in or out of Police custody. When the Magistrate orders four days police custody, Appu asks for one week! What a bon-homie amongst Appu and Premkumar, they go around shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand (is that âhand in gloveâ?)
14) January 2005: Uthirathi Mutt Manager Srinivasachari murdered in the same fasion as Shankararaman, but the first and most immediate reaction of the Police even before commencing investigation is that this murder has no connection with the murder of Shankararaman! This mutt is in the neighbourhood of the Varadaraja Perumal temple. The Sniffing dog runs from the mutt to Varadaraja Perumal Temple, then to shankararamanâs house then to a Chetty road Junction! Did this Srinivasachari see anything he ought not to have seen on 3rd September 2004 and the real conspirator did not want him to spill the beans, so that the present Police story would go unchecked?
15) Wonderful drama, more acts will unfold. Even Goebulz has not succeeded in repeating lies so as to make it appear as truth. The stage actors will get tired and will have to remove their costumes as the show comes to an end. In this show, the audience will remove the actorsâ costumes soon!<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Jr seer reports at police station</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The seer, visiting a police station for the first time, appeared before the Thousand Lights Police station in the city and affixed his thumb impression as normally Peetathipadhis (mutt heads) do not sign in any register or papers.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+Feb 13 2005, 04:53 PM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ Feb 13 2005, 04:53 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> Rumor has it that a warrant has been issued for Cho too ? Can somebody please confirm ? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> Cho questioned about Gurumurthy articles
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Asked whether the police had exceeded their limits by questioning him and the others, Cho said that as far as his interview was concerned, "I have been cited as a witness... nothing hostile in it. As far as Gurumurthy is concerned, it is an instance of police harassment. The case has no substance and the charges are flimsy. It will not stand scrutiny in court", he said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>Mata Amritanandmayi steers clear of tainted Kanchi seer, says truth will prevail.: </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"If somebody does something wrong or unethical it is indeed bad. However, I don't know whether they have done something wrong or not, neither do I want to comment on it. There is one thing for sure, that those people who speak the truth are helped and blessed by god," Mata Amritanandamayi said in Nagore on Sunday while she was distributing relief to tsunami victims.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> 
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> (again!)