Bail for Jayendra, jail for Vijayendra

Hours later, the SIT team led by Kancheepuram SP K Premkumar entered the Mutt and arrested junior acharya Vijayendra Saraswathi.

He has been remanded to judicial custody for 15 days and taken to Chennai Central prison. Like his senior, he too has been charged under IPC sections on murder, conspiracy and acting with common intention.

When Kancheepuram magistrate Uthamaraj asked him whether he accepted the charges, Vijayendra said he was innocent. The prosecution did not seek his police custody.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office tonight disclosed that the PM had written a letter four days ago to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa expressing his apprehension over the ‘‘consequences’’ of the possible arrest of Vijayendra Saraswathi and disruption it may cause to the ‘‘centuries-old tradition’’ of daily poojas.

According to a PMO spokesman, Manmohan Singh told a delegation of top BJP leaders—it consisted among others former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani and former President R Venkataraman— that his January 6 letter said that the state government must pay ‘‘due attention’’ to the sentiments of the devotees of the Kanchi Mutt while respecting the law.

The arrest drama at the Kanchi Mutt began today a little after 5 pm when two police vans showed up. Then came in a long convoy of police vehicles. SP Premkumar and investigation officer S P Shaktivel entered the Mutt while security personnel cordoned off all entry points.

Devotees said Vijayendra Saraswathi was at a pooja when the police entered the Mutt and told him that he was being taken into custody.

Mutt advocate Y Thiagarajan, who accused the police of barging into a place of worship without permission, said the sessions court would be moved for Vijayendra’s bail.

Earlier this morning, the Supreme Court granted bail to Jayendra Saraswathi. In their 17-page order, a bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice G P Mathur and Justice P P Naolekar ruled: ‘‘We are of the opinion that prima facie a strong case has been made out for grant of bail to the petitioner. The appeal is accordingly allowed and the impugned order of the High Court is set aside.’’

The bench then ordered to release the petitioner on bail on his furnishing ‘‘a personal bond and two sureties to the satisfaction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Chengleput’’.

Justice Mathur said: ‘‘Fali Nariman (counsel for Jayendra Saraswathi) has made a very fair statement that till the investigation is under progress, the petitioner shall not visit the Mutt premises. We accordingly direct that till the submission of chargesheet in court, the petitioner shall not visit the Mutt premises. He shall also surrender his passport before the CJM.’’

The bench observed that there was absolutely no evidence or material that indicated the petitioner’s resentment against the deceased (Sankararaman) for levelling allegations.