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Sankaracharya gets anticipatory bail

     Chennai: The High Court of Madras today granted anticipatory bail to the Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, who apprehended arrest following a complaint filed by Chitra, wife of Ravi Subramaniam, accused-turned-approver in the Sankararaman murder case. Chitra, in her complaint had alleged that the two lawyers having connection with the mutt had threatened her husband and tried to induce him to change his confessional statement implicating the seer in the case. On February 22, the case was filed against the Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati by the Tamil Nadu police, which related to threatening the key approver, Ravi Subramaniam. In the case it has been said that the seer, though his lawyers, tried to threaten approver Ravi Subramaniam. Chitra has said that the two Mutt lawyers, Revathy and Nadira Banu went into the Chengelpet sub-jail and threatened Ravi Subramaniam apart from offering him a huge sum of money to retract his statement.

     The pontiff has given an undertaking that he will not tamper with evidence, when he was being granted bail by the court. But the new case may lead to the cancellation of the seer's bail. Even his lawyers have been charged with the same offence and the senior pontiff and his lawyers have already moved the courts for anticipatory bail in this fresh case. Ravi Subramaniam is an accused turned approver in the Sankaraman murder case, in which the Kanchi Sankaracharya has been cited as prime accused. Ravi had been lodged in the district sub-jail following his arrest in December in connection with the Sankaraman murder case. Earlier, on February 15, Electrocardiogram (ECG) and CT scan were done for him in the Government hospital and he was given treatment for pain in the chest and neck.

      Ravi, a building contractor, was arrested in Guruvaryur on December 26 and has been in custody on judicial remand. He who had been evading the police dragnet since the arrest of the Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathigal on Nov 11 last, had sent a letter to District Superintendent of Police Prem Kumar indicating that he was fed up with being on the run and was contemplating suicide. That letter gave a vital clue to the police and Ravi was caught. Ravi Subramaniam is accused of having organised the killing of Sankaraman through a gang of hirelings headed by Krishnaswamy alias Appu at the behest of the Sankaracharya. The high-profile murder case has rocked the temple city with a long drama of arrests of both the Kanchi Sankaracharyas and Kanchi mutt manager. At present, the Sankaracharyas are free on bail.

Arjun Munda moves SC (Go To Top)

    Ranchi: Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and BJP leader Arjun Munda has approached Supreme Court against the state Governor's decision not to call the single largest pre-poll alliance, the NDA, to form the government. Munda in his petition has also requested the apex court to issue directions for early convening of the Assembly session to prevent any horse-trading. In the petition, he expressed the fears that the state police might be used to pressurise the independent MLAs. It would be difficult to keep its flock intact if the session is convened as scheduled on March 15. Arjun Munda arrived in Ranchi to lead the NDA camp from the front. He expressed confidence of dethroning the Soren government and proving his majority on the floor of the House. "I can say with confidence that despite all their machinations, we will be able to prove that we had, we have and will continue to have majority support," said Munda.

Nepal FM meets Natwar Singh (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Nepali Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey today met External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh in the Capital. Both the leaders held talks on the latest political developments in the Himalayan Kingdom. This is the first high-level contact between the two countries after the Nepali King Gyanendra seized power sacking the Sher Bahadur Deuba government imposing national emergency in the Himalayan Kingdom on February 1. During the three-day ''working visit'', Pandey will be meeting a host of other Indian leaders to brief them about the current political developments in his country. Foreign Secretary Madhuraman Acharya and other senior officials of his Ministry are accompanying Pandey. The current visit of the Nepali minister gains significance as Nepal has been insisting that India should take a realistic view of the political developments in Nepal. India has sharply criticised the King's decision. It had also suspended military aid to Nepal. New Delhi has been repeatedly calling for the restoration of democracy in the Himalayan region at the earliest.

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